


A Doctor and A God

by Sandshoes



Category: Doctor Who, Marvel Cinematic Universe, X-Men (Movies)
Genre: Crossover, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-18
Updated: 2015-04-29
Packaged: 2018-03-11 12:28:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 24,393
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3327146
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sandshoes/pseuds/Sandshoes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After a slightly drunken escapade with a shapeshifter, the Doctor tries to keep moving on without Rose. When the TARDIS malfunctions, he finds himself trapped in the middle of a war he inadvertently started-  a war he might not be able to escape.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Roses Leave Thorns

**Author's Note:**

> **Disclaimer:** Sadly, I do not own anything very recognizable in this story. I've just pulled them out of their toy boxes, and I intend to return them after I've had my fun.

The best thing about the year 2295 was the grand opening of Shooting Star, the first major interstellar bar in the universe, located only a few light years away from the star Arcturus. Travelers from varying worlds across the galaxies all made the pilgrimage to have a drink at the historic place. But by 2300, it had deteriorated to one of many, and though its clients had once been lively and spirited, its only current inhabitants were sad and lonely.

The saddest was easily the youngest, or, at least, the one who _looked_ youngest. He had his elbow on the bar, and his chin rested on his hand. He gazed down at the sorry remains of the latest attempt to forget, silently trying to shift his mind to anything but her. With a resounding clunk, the four-armed barkeep placed a freshly-made banana daiquiri in front of the man. He swiped away the empty glass, and after giving the patron a pity-filled glance, he kept moving, darting away to make drinks for the Sontaran at the other end of the bar.

The Doctor slowly pulled his drink closer with his free hand. Was it the tenth? Or the fifteenth? He had lost count. The world had gone fuzzy around the edges, and yet, he still clung to every detail of Rose Tyler on Bad Wolf Bay. The sea spray in her hair, the loss in her eyes, the pain of never saying the words she needed to hear. It all played over and over again in his mind, stuck on an infinite loop that stung more and more with each reshowing.

“Your finest scotch. On the rocks,” the Gizou ordered as he took the empty seat next to the time lord. At least, the Doctor _thought_ it was a Gizou; certainly the purple was the right shade, but something seemed slightly different. Maybe it was the short brown hair. Or possibly the thick shoulders. Or the bright orange glow coming from the creature's pocket. He shrugged, deciding to write it off due to the alcohol.

“You're a Gizou, right?” the Doctor asked as he noticed the creature looking back at him. “I love that word. I'd love to be able to shapeshift, too.” The other alien's eyes narrowed slightly before he turned away. The Doctor took a long sip of his drink, and sighed as the only memory his mind could focus on replayed itself. _I'd give anything to hug her one last time,_ he thought. Suddenly, the Doctor sat up a bit straighter. After all, it was a Gizou sitting beside him, and perhaps the promise of one, and only one, trip through time and space could convince said Gizou to take on Rose's guise. Not that it would be perfect, of course- the whole race was sadly known for their mistakes- but it would be close enough.

The Doctor looked over to the purple being, who was now sipping his scotch. Bright orange eyes peered back at him. “Who?” the Gizou asked, his voice soft and dark.

“Rose,” he replied with a slight frown. He was usually more subtle; at least he could blame that on drinking to forget.

The Gizou gave a nod. “And what do you offer in return?”

With a slurp, the Doctor finished his daiquiri, and set the empty glass back down on the counter. “Any place and any time you want to see.” Pausing, he shrugged his shoulders. “Well, _almost_ any. Fixed points are off limits.”

With either a smile or a grimace, a menacing gesture either way, the Gizou downed the rest of his scotch and slammed the tumbler onto the counter. Smiling wistfully, the Doctor stood, pulled a stack of credits from a pocket as he shrugged his worn brown coat back on, and simply placed them on the bar by his final empty glass. He stowed his hands in his pockets, and, knowing the Gizou would be following, strode out of the bar.

A thin blue box stood out in the row of ships, partially because of how small it was in comparison to the rest. It was to this box that the Doctor led the Gizou, extracting a slim silver key from a pocket as he did so. He slipped it into a small keyhole on the front, and with a twist, pushed the door open. “Come on in,” he called behind him as he took his coat off. “Welcome to the TARDIS. Yes, it's bigger on the inside.” He glanced back in time to see the Gizou shutting the door after entering, the creature's eyes alight with curiosity. “Everyone says that,” he noted, fiddling with the dials, “but we have to skip it this time, I'm afraid.” He punched a small button, and a hologram of Rose Tyler popped up in front of him. “This is her, this is Rose.” The Gizou stepped closer, nodding. The Doctor stared at the image, his mind filled with his last memories of her. “I'm the Doctor, by the way,” he stated as his eyes darted over to the Gizou, or, where the purple creature had just been standing, a duplicate of Rose. “What can I call you?” he asked.

“I have had many names,” she replied. “But I think it fair you call me Thorn.”

“Ah, irony. I love irony.” He paused, shrugging his shoulders. “Well, sometimes. A couple of planets in the Black Eye galaxy converse with only irony. Confusing planets, those.” Looking over at his temporary companion, his lips turned up with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. “So, _Thorn_ , where are we off to?”

Thorn returned the smile as she rested her hands on the main console. “Back in 2010, there was a legendary supernova near the constellation Virgo.”

“Oh, wonderful choice. Irregular supernovas are, indeed, legendary.” He twisted a knob on the console, flicked a switch, and pulled down a lever. “Allons-y!” The center of the console started to move, and Thorn, on instinct, braced herself as the TARDIS started to shift. The Doctor, however, had already headed back to the doors, and the blue box had barely stopped moving when he gleefully yanked both open, revealing a vast sky of stars with a small explosion budding at the center. He stuffed his hands into his pockets, and, smiling, stared out into the vast space that spread out before him. Thorn quietly came to stand beside him. As she scanned the skies, her own small smile slid from her face.

“What is _that_?” she screeched, pointing to an object slowly floating through space.

The Doctor followed her gesture and frowned. “I think the real question is _who_.” Without saying anything else, he brushed past Thorn towards the controls. He twisted one knob carefully, glancing back to the open doors as he did so. “Shut the doors for a moment.” The doors shut with a thud as he tweaked the knob the tiniest bit more. He pulled the nearest lever, and the TARDIS was set into motion again. Hoping he was right, he walked back over to where Rose stood. _Thorn_ , he corrected himself mentally with a soft sigh. _Oh, I'm definitely not going to thank myself after this._ Hesitantly, he placed a hand on the nearest door handle, and looked to Thorn, who quickly mimicked his motion. With a small nod, they both pulled, and not a moment too soon.

A body floated in through the open doors, and slid to a rest near the console. Curious, the Doctor shoved the door shut, and walked over to get a closer look. He stooped down, and rested his elbows on his knees. The man that lay on the floor looked young, but as the Doctor knew too well, appearances could be deceiving. He mostly wore what looked like black leather that contrasted with his pale skin. The gold of the bracers that fell across his chest was repeated throughout the rest of his armor, and small bits of green poked through as well. Though he had just been drifting through space, he looked to be at peace. His chest moved slowly as he breathed.

The slam of the second door brought the Doctor back from his examination, and he looked to his temporary companion as she stepped closer. “Is he _dead_?” Thorn asked, looming over the pair of them.

“No, not dead, just unconscious.” The young man's eyes flitted open, and their bright green hue immediately turned towards the Doctor. “Make that conscious,” he muttered. “Hello there! You're alright now, we pulled you in. Well, not quite, more like we opened the doors and let you glide in.” Slowly, he started to sit up. “I'm the Doctor,” the Doctor noted, “and that's Thorn,” he added, flicking a finger in her direction. The raven-haired stranger turned his gaze to her for a moment before looking back to the Time Lord. “What can we call you?”

Silence fell for a few moments, though when the reply came, they could barely hear it. “I am Loki.”

“Well,” the Doctor started, “I've certainly met weirder.” He grinned, and stood, offering a hand to the other man.

Loki's lips were pressed into a thin line, rife with uncertainty, for several seconds before he tentatively grasped the offered hand. He rose to his feet, and straightened his coat-like armor. A green cape fell to the floor from his shoulders. His posture was perfect, though it was missing the confidence that was usually found behind it. Slowly, he turned around, looking around the TARDIS through an impassive mask.

The Doctor tucked his hands into his pockets. “So. I'm guessing you weren't just out for a morning fall through space. Bad things happen to people who try to sail the stars themselves.” The armored man didn't react to the statement, and merely continued his visual exploration. The Doctor merely shifted his weight onto his heels, lifting his toes from the floor, and decided to try a different tactic. “Is there any place we can drop you off?” He rocked slightly on his feet as he waited for a response.

“You're not seriously just going to throw him back out into space, are you?” Thorn asked as she crossed her arms over her chest.

“Well no, hence why I said drop him off.”

Thorn chewed her lip in mild frustration as she tucked her hands into her pockets instead. “And you think he's going to state a place, just like that?”

The Doctor shrugged. “Well...”

“What planet were you going to dump him on anyway?”

“Dump? I wasn't going to dump him anywhere. That's rude.” He sighed. “And it requires tilting the TARDIS, which isn't fun. Well, not unless it's deliberate and you're next to the pool.” He glanced at Thorn, who had started to glare at him. “We're not exactly close to anywhere, so I might as well place him somewhere he wants to go.” Both turned to Loki, who, though breathing normally, seemed to simply be shocked. “Is there somewhere on Earth I can leave you?”

Loki frowned. “I am not very familiar with Earth.” He looked to Thorn, who seemed to be holding on to something tightly in her pocket. “My... brother was there not too long ago. Loathe as I am to admit it, it might be wise to look for him.” He took a deep breath before facing the Doctor again. “You may take me to New Mexico.”

The Doctor nodded, and headed back to the main console. “Well you'll certainly still get enough stars there this time of year.” He fiddled with a pair of dials before pulling the main lever and sending the blue box hurtling through space. As he walked to the doors for the third time, he looked over at Thorn, who caught his gaze and grinned. She came to stand beside him as he opened the door. Both looked to Loki, who hadn't moved yet.

With one last glance around the TARDIS, the Asgardian gracefully stepped towards the exit, his cape billowing behind him. Respectfully, he nodded to the Doctor in thanks. The Time Lord returned the gesture. Thorn, however, threw her arms around the stranger's neck, and hugged him tightly. Loki stiffened for a moment before gently patting her on the back in reply. With yet another nod to the Doctor, he took yet another deep breath, and exited the TARDIS.

The door slammed shut the moment his cape vanished from the light, and the Doctor turned to Thorn. “What was that?”

Thorn shrugged. “He looked like he needed the luck.”

The Doctor grinned sadly. “Rose would have done the same thing.” He stared at the shapeshifter for a moment, but all he saw was Rose standing on Bad Wolf Bay. He sighed, and looked down at his feet as he tried to gather his wits. “Back to the supernova, then?” he asked, returning to the controls.

She shook her head. “Best to get back to the Shooting Star, actually.”

“Oh don't tell me you're afraid of floating in space!” He started moving the knobs and pressing a couple of buttons. “It's actually quite relaxing. Ends up being an intergalatic sport in a few more millennia.” He glanced up in time to catch Thorn rolling her eyes. “Alright, fine, back to the future, then.” He flipped the final switch.

With a wheeze, the TARDIS landed back in the parking area of the Shooting Star. Thorn stepped out first, and turned to face the Doctor who stood in the doorway. “Thank you, Doctor,” she stated. One last grin was shot in his direction before she headed off, shifting back into the purple-skinned being the Doctor had originally encountered.

“Goodbye, Rose,” the Doctor whispered, his words lost over the roar of an engine. Sadly, he closed the door, and leaned against it. _At least a little good came of that, we did rescue that man_ , he thought with a sigh. He walked over to the console slowly. As he leaned over, the controls began to blur. He shut his eyes for a moment as he desperately tried to clear his mind. _Let's see. Why was Loki floating? Where's he from anyway? That's not exactly a common name, not even on Earth. I hope I haven't doomed him to wandering the desert._

His eyes fluttered open, though they still glistened in the light from the console. Rose, at least, was temporarily pushed away from his thoughts. “Well. On to the next adventure.” He barely paid attention to which controls he touched; he knew the TARDIS better than the back of his hand. Looking to the closed door one last time, he pulled the lever, leaving the Shooting Star and 'Thorn' behind him.

\- - - - - - - - - - 

A man in the shadows watched the TARDIS vanish with a sly grin. The once purple skin faded to a pale cream, and short brown hair changed to pure ebony as it lengthened, stopping just past the man's thinning shoulders. His green eyes glinted in the darkness as he toyed with an orange gem he had pulled from his pocket, and with a sinister chuckle, he faded back into the darkness.


	2. Falling Away

At first, the falling had felt frightening.

But _no one_ was ever to know Loki had actually admitted that. No one aside from himself and the darkness, at any rate.

Falling, as he knew it, always ended in a landing, be it a rough one from being thrown across the training grounds or a more gentle one from jumping into bed. This, however, hadn't ended. Time had quickly slipped away from him, even before he remembered that he had _chosen_ to fall.

He had let go.

He was _born_ to rule. His claim to the throne of Jotunheim had been taken away from him by the so-called All-father. He had even been raised as a prince of Asgard, but that also meant nothing. He had learned too late that Odin had never meant for him to rule. It didn't matter how inept the 'god' of thunder was; the king of Asgard was a title meant for Thor alone.

But he had left all of that behind him.

As he floated endlessly, past stars and planets and galaxies, he slowly started to accept his fate. He was king- king alone in his domain, king in the endlessness of space.

And he was set to die as that king.

Loki let himself slip in and out of consciousness. Each time, he willed the darkness just to take him. Because the darkness, he thought, would set him free.

\- - - - - - - - - -

Something had changed. Something in his lonely existence had shifted.

With a small thud, and a bit of sliding, he was, temporarily, at rest. The surface he had landed on was not moving, as far as he could tell. A ruslting of fabric let him know that he wasn't alone.

“Is he _dead_?” a female voice screeched from above him, internally causing him to wince.

“No, not dead, just unconscious,” a male voice replied. Slowly, he opened his eyes. The man who knelt beside him looked to be Midgardian, at least in garb. “Make that conscious,” he muttered. “Hello there! You're alright now, we pulled you in. Well, not quite, more like we opened the doors and let you glide in.” Without responding, Loki started to sit up. He certainly wasn't sure where he was, let alone who had taken him in from the darkness. “I'm the Doctor,” the man noted, “and that's Thorn.” Loki looked to the female for a moment. She, too, looked to be from Midgard, until her blue eyes changed to green. A sharp, clear, fearless green he knew all too well. Very few things in his life could surprise him, yet he came as close as he ever had to gaping. Before he could react, she raised one finger to her lips silently, and pointedly looked back to the Doctor. Loki looked to the other man, who was still gazing at him earnestly. “What can we call you?” The god simply stared back, lost in his own thoughts.

_Answer him_ , a voice in his head prompted. He looked to the female again, who was holding a glowing orange stone.

_Who is he?_ Loki thought.

_A bringer of change. Change to my past, your future._ She squeezed the stone before tucking it back into her pocket. _Change for the better._

“I am Loki.” His voice came out softer than he intended.

“Well, I've certainly met weirder,” the Doctor stated as he rose to his feet. He extended one hand towards the man on the floor.

Loki froze, his lips tight with uncertainty. _He just saved you_ , the other voice in his head taunted. _I doubt he will throw you back into the darkness._ Hesitantly, he grasped the offered hand, and rose to his feet. _Having him find you is more preferable to the alternative than you can conceive_ , the other voice continued as he straightened his armor.

_Why am I even listening to you?_ he asked as he turned, taking in his surroundings.

The other voice, he was sure, snorted slightly. _Would you believe me otherwise?_ Grudgingly, he admitted he wouldn't. _This guise is to fool him, as is our silence._

“So,” the Doctor began, “I'm guessing you weren't just out for a morning fall through space. Bad things happen to people who try to sail the stars themselves.” Loki glanced at the interior, trying to take in every detail of the unknown vessel without glancing at the other occupants. _Am I just to trust in your thoughts? Mind magic is far more dangerous a path than even I dare travel._

Loki glanced at the female as she tapped her pocket yet again. _The infinity stone makes it mere child's play. Keep hold of it once you encounter it this time._

“Is there any place we can drop you off?” the Doctor queried as he rocked back and forth on his feet. _You let an infinity stone simply slip through your hands?_

Thorn crossed her arms over her chest. “You're not seriously just going to throw him back out into space, are you?” she asked aloud. _I was gifted one in order to recover another. And this time you shall obtain both._

“Well no, hence why I said drop him off,” the Time Lord replied. _How?_

_The Tesseract is on Midgard_ , his future self replied while chewing her lip. _The mortals study it without knowing what they truly see._ She stuffed her hands into her pockets again with a forceful twitch of her shoulders. “And you think he's going to state a place just like that?”

Loki repressed a smirk as the Doctor shrugged. “Well...” _And you intend for the Doctor to place me close._

“What planet were you going to dump him on anyway?” _Close enough without drawing suspicion- do you remember where you sent the Destroyer after our oaf of a brother?_

“Dump?” the Doctor asked indignantly. “I wasn't going to dump him anywhere. That's rude. And it requires tilting the TARDIS, which isn't fun. Well, not unless it's deliberate and you're next to the pool.” Pausing, the Doctor looked to Thorn, who, Loki noted, was beginning to glare. “We're not exactly close to anywhere, so I might as well place him somewhere he wants to go.” He turned to Loki. “Is there somewhere on Earth I can leave you?”

Without the Doctor's gaze on her, Thorn smirked. _You look startled. Is it that difficult to believe me capable of fixing my own plight?_ She clenched her fist in her pocket. _New Mexico shall suffice, I believe._

“I am not very familiar with Earth,” Loki answered with a small grimace. “My... brother was there not too long ago. Loathe as I am to admit it, it might be wise to look for him.” _You leave me with little more to do than follow your word_ , he answered mentally as a took a deep breath. “You may take me to New Mexico,” he stated after he turned back to the Doctor.

The Time Lord nodded before returning to the main console. “Well you'll certainly still get enough stars there this time of year.” _You know we seldom act without purpose._ The Doctor flipped a switch before heading back to the doors. Smiling, Thorn went to stand beside the strange man before turning back to Loki. _You can have all you have ever wanted. The only thing you must do is locate the Tesseract. The rest will fall into place for you._

_You failed in the past. What makes you certain I shall not?_

_You have a target. And you see here your biggest hurdle._ His eyes flicked to the Doctor. _I think it wise to believe you can plan accordingly._

Loki took once last look around the inside of the TARDIS before fluidly moving towards the door. He lowered his head slightly to the Doctor. He was, in a way, thankful; without his skill at flying the strange machine, both he and his future would still be in trouble. The Doctor returned the gesture in equal silence.

Thorn shimmered slightly, and an illusion he could immediately see through stepped forward to throw her arms around his neck. _I would wish you luck, but it is a poor substitute for skill, which I've no doubt you possess._ Hesitantly, he wrapped his arms around the fake female before patting the air near her back. _Remember: locate the Tesseract, and beware the Doctor in this blue box._ With one final nod to the Doctor, and another deep breath, he stepped out from the TARDIS, his emerald cape flowing behind him.

A mixture of screeching and wooshing filled the still night air, and he turned to see the blue box vanish before peering around. The desert was lit with a nearly full moon, but no structure nor animal was in sight. He slowly started walking the direction he had been facing. The young Asgardian was, yet again, alone under the stars.

But this time, he was in charge of his destination.


	3. No Good Deed

The TARDIS was going haywire.

Frantically, the Doctor had jumped back to the main console after something had caused his ship to lurch. He checked the coordinates- they were nothing spectacular, not a big event or anything near a fixed point, just a seemingly normal day in June of 2012, or so he had thought. Something in the core started to smoke as the TARDIS landed. Coughing, the Doctor wound his way to the door, snagging his coat along the way. He pulled his coat on, opened the doors, and tentatively stepped out, shutting the doors behind him.

The first thing the Doctor noticed about where he emerged was how stark the white walls were. The second thing he noticed was the row of armored gunmen. He wheeled about, trying to see if there was anyone behind him, and, confused, faced the gunners again. Slowly, he raised his arms in surrender. A couple of the goons lowered their weapons, and started to flank him. One poked him with the butt of his gun. He lowered his arms, put his hands in his pockets, and followed the henchmen, knowing that he really had no choice.

They led him through a maze of hallways. No one else was ever in sight, he had noticed, though there seemed to be plenty of other hallways and closed doors. The only sound came from their footsteps and the occasional rustle of the guards' armor.

_Clearly_ , the Doctor thought, _someone wants me trapped._ Ahead of him, the leading guards had opened wide doors. One of the goons behind him nudged him none too gently, and he continued forward. _Well at least I don't have to wait to find out who._

The first thing he thought about the room was how much it reminded him of the middle ages. There were two rows of stone columns that stretched to the ceiling. He half expected the walls to have stained glass windows, but instead there were only simple stone walls. The light in the hall came from flickering torches on the columns. At the far end of the hall, a throne had been erected, but that wasn't what caused the Doctor to stop in his tracks; the man on top of it, however, did.

It had only been minutes since the Doctor had last seen him, though the time lord would wager more than that had passed. He didn't look any different, though. His raven hair was slicked back away from his face, and the ends curled up slightly. Sharp green eyes glinted, matching the smirk on the man's pale face. Most likely, the light was simply playing tricks, but the gold on his armor looked quite more pronounced. Perhaps it was the addition of a staff- it looked to be about two meters, and solid gold. Or perhaps it was something else- a pale orange light shone from a stone that hung around his neck. But no matter what the change was, he was just as the Doctor remembered.

With one wave of his free hand, Loki dismissed the guards. Their swift retreat was marked with the thud of the door. “I knew you would come.” The Doctor said nothing. Instead, he slowly started to walk towards the nearest column. He didn't need to glance at his captor to know that his every move was being watched. “It was only a matter of time.”

“'Kings are the slaves of history',” the Doctor quoted without looking at the other man. “I suppose it still holds true for a self-proclaimed king.” His eyes flicked up. “You can shapeshift.”

“How long has it been for you, Doctor?” Loki asked, amusement evident in his voice as he ignored the last statement. “No more than a day. And yet you have begun to fathom what I have started.”

The Doctor stopped in the center of the hall, and turned towards the throne. “You told yourself something to set this in motion. What did you change?”

Loki's smile merely widened. “'Do you think I am easier to be played on than a pipe?'”

“Ah! Shakespeare! You've done more than just stir things up down here, I see.” Though he grinned when he said it, his smile was no truer than the one he was given. “You knew I would come, though, eventually, which is why you somehow planned on trapping me.” He started pacing again, causing his voice to echo off the walls. “And the question isn't why, because you know I can stop you. The question isn't even how you've become 'king', nor is the question what you're king of.” He looked to the throne again. “The question is who else stands against you.”

Loki's grin faltered for a moment, but it was time enough for the Doctor to know he'd found the right pressure point. “You must think me arrogant enough to boast of my accomplishments,” he stated as he stood. “You think yourself able to help?” He propped the staff up against the side of the throne, and clasped his hands behind his back. His cape, the time lord noticed, was no where in sight. “I know you are more than your blue box, Doctor, but neither you nor it are best alone.” He, too, began to pace. “I found you once. A second time would take no further effort on my part.” The Doctor froze with his back to most of the room. He simply stared at the stones, trying to see beyond them. He didn't flinch when Loki's hand landed on his shoulder, and his next words came right next to his ear. “There is naught you can do. Doctor is the Midgardian term for healer, is it not?” Loki slowly made his way back to the throne. He picked the staff back up, and tapped it loudly on the ground. “There is no one who needs to be saved.”

The doors opened, and a few guards marched in. Two grabbed the Doctor's arms, and started steering him from the room. He glanced back at Loki, only to find him lounging on the throne, his own thoughts clearly taking him elsewhere.

The Doctor didn't bother to keep an eye on his surroundings as he was forced down the hallways yet again. Several twists and turns later, a door was opened, and he was shoved inside before the cell was shut. He heard a lock turn as he started to take stock in his new accommodations. A thin cot of a bed was shoved up against one wall, and a small table was set at its foot. Unceremoniously, the Doctor pulled his coat off, and threw it on the table before he jumped on the cot. He crossed his arms as he rested his back against the wall, and pulled his feet up. He crossed his ankles as well, and started to think.

Whatever the older Loki had told his younger self had caused a rift in time large enough to cause the TARDIS to veer off course. It couldn't have been more than a sentence, possibly two short ones at most, but it seemed to be enough to at least grant the young man some sort of control. Regardless of the cause, he hadn't been dropped here for fun; the TARDIS had never malfunctioned merely on a whim.

Sighing, the Doctor tapped his foot against the air. There were plenty of other doors in wherever he had ended up; were there other prisoners trapped here as well? He had certainly evoked a reaction after mentioning other foes to Loki. No rise to power was ever complete without someone else trying to deny that power, after all. Could he have been brought here to put a stop to whoever was trying to oppose the false king? He shrugged in answer. Possible, yes, but unlikely, given what little he recalled about Loki's first (or was it second?) trip to Earth.

The Doctor had only heard about what happened. Like most of history's great events, he knew the basics. Most of the whole debacle- from Loki taking the Tesseract to building the portal- was a very very very nasty fixed point. He could interfere if he had absolutely needed to, but it had been taken care of quite well by a group called the Avengers. The main gist of it, though, was that Loki had been stopped before he was able to take over the world with an army of vicious Chitauri. The Asgardian- _that's what he is!_ the Doctor thought in quiet triumph- had been sent back home with his brother to be incarcerated. Not that he had been wholly detained, apparently. But 300 years was quite a long time.

As he tapped his foot again, he tried to recall if anything major had occurred between Loki's failed attempt at world domination and his successful act of conning the Doctor into saving his younger self. _Was that important?_ he thought, backtracking a bit. Had someone else rescued him from floating in space? Or had some _thing_ much more sinister found him instead? The only other major events in that time period the Doctor could recall that involved other-worldly attacks mainly dealt with the Avengers. He hadn't meddled in any of it. Well, not yet in any case, if he succeeded in righting the fluke that caused this alternate time line. But often enough, it was fine to leave the heroics to those in their natural time. He could only meddle so much after all anyway.

Wistfully, the Doctor looked towards the far wall. He wished that he had a window, or possibly a book or several. Anything else to look at aside from the monotonous walls would be a welcome change. Suddenly, he turned his head towards the corner, silently swearing that he had seen a shadow shift. When nothing moved, he tilted his head back to stare at the ceiling.

“Well you certainly look like you're comfortable, at least.”

The Doctor blinked, and started tracing the lines of the tiles with his eyes. It wasn't Loki's voice that had come from above, nor that of anyone else he had recognized. “You're not a disembodied voice, are you? I've come across several of those. Well, a couple, really, since I found out that the heads of the Headless Monks liked to try to be clever.”

The shadow in the corner near the door started to grow and take shape. Before too long, a young woman stood there, dressed head to toe in black and looking more like a stereotypical cat-burglar than any Catwoman incarnation. Her ebony hair was pulled up in a ponytail, and yet it still fell to the middle of her back. Her eyes were a light shade of lavender that reminded the Doctor of a lightning strike. What interested him most, though, was the pale scar that fell from above her left eyebrow to the tip of her high cheekbone. If he had to guess, he would have guessed her to be no older than 25. “Still think I'm disembodied?” she asked, the corners of her thin lips pulling upwards with amusement.

The Doctor grinned as he tried to puzzle out the enigma before him. “You're not another prisoner, are you?” he asked. She immediately shook her head. “Thought not,” he said as he pulled his knees up and leaned against them. “You've clearly got no need to linger.”

She shrugged one shoulder. “You're not one of ours we haven't found, you're not a missing political leader, but He-who-desperately-needs-some-sunlight put you in one of his best protected facilities.” Gingerly, she took a seat on the very edge of the cot. “So who _are_ you?”

He inhaled, gauging just how much he should tell her. “A traveler, simply caught in the right place at the wrong time.”

If she noted his flip of the words, she didn't show it. “Are you human?” she pressed as she crossed her arms over her chest.

“Are you clever, or was that just a guess?”

“Both,” she answered with a grin. Genuinely, he smiled back at her. “Loki doesn't detain a human unless he can't control them, but it's increasingly rare to find someone in here who isn't a mutant.”

A handful of questions popped into his head. Carefully, the Doctor stifled each, hoping he'd eventually be able to get the answers. “So it's the mutants who stand against the king.” The strange female nodded. “Can you get me out of here?”

Her eyes narrowed. “You're clearly no ally of Loki's, but are you an ally of ours?”

Again, the Doctor smiled. “Oh you are clever. A fair question. Let's just say I've been thrown into this without a side for the moment. Get me out, answer my questions, and I'll answer yours.”

As he met her gaze, he could almost see her calculating her next move. Finally, she sighed. “Deal,” she said quietly, holding her gloved hand out. With a nod, he grasped hers, and shook it firmly. “You can call me Nightshade for now.”

“Good thing I'm the Doctor, then, if I'm dealing with poison.”

Gamely, she rolled her eyes. “I didn't exactly have much say in the name.”

“You definitely seem a bit to sweet for poison. Well, most poisons I've encountered, anyway.” She chuckled. “So, shall we waltz out of here?”

Nightshade nodded, and stood. As the Doctor pulled himself off the bed, she snatched his coat and tossed it to him as she stepped closer. He looked down at her, noticing just how short she was. “This is going to feel weird,” she warned as she reached one hand out towards his arm. “Are you ready?” He nodded, and she grabbed his bicep.

The next thing he knew, he felt like he was being flattened and dragged along. He could see the hallways flying past beneath them, dotted with the occasional guard. That soon gave way to a great forest. All sorts of different trees towered over them as they climbed the hillside, but they lost no momentum. Almost as suddenly as they started, they had stopped, and the Doctor found himself in a sparse clearing. He inhaled, grateful that he no longer felt like a sheet of paper, and looked to Nightshade as she let go of his arm and stepped towards the middle of the clearing.

He tucked his coat under his arm with a small huff. “Nine hundred years of time and space and I've never known how it felt to be crushed by a steamroller before,” he muttered as he stuffed his hands into his pockets. To her credit, his rescuer had simply smirked before whistling sharply.

A metal scraping sound came from the center of the clearing. Slowly, a ramp lowered, revealing a thin woman with chocolate skin and ivory hair. “Certainly took your time today, didn't you, Nightshade?” She smiled, and stepped towards the odd pair. “Who's this?” she asked.

“I'm the Doctor,” he replied.

“Just him, then?” the other woman asked.

Nightshade nodded. “Yeah Storm, he was it. We should probably get out of here.”

The Doctor frowned. “We're leaving?” Again, she nodded, and he shook his head. “Loki has something of mine. I can't let him keep it.”

Nightshade looked to Storm, who gave her a curt nod. She looked back to the Doctor. “What is it?”

He inhaled deeply. “A... police box.”

“Police box?”

He tilted his head for a moment before answering. “Oh, right right right. You're American,” he stated. She nodded. “A telephone box, a blue one.”

She crossed her arms. “And you'll tell me what it is later?”

“I promise.”

“Alright then.” She poked her head around Storm, looking into the interior of the jet for a moment. “Hey, Peter, can you come with me?”

Several heavy footsteps sounded from the inside. A large man emerged. He stood at least a head taller than the Doctor, and was likely twice as wide, though he appeared to be solid muscle. He glanced at the smaller man before stepping next to Nightshade, completely dwarfing her tiny frame as he stood beside her. She wrapped her hand around his arm, and both vanished.

“I don't think I'm ever going to get used to that,” the Doctor murmured.

Storm laughed. “She certainly takes some getting used to. We're lucky to have her, though.”

The Doctor smiled at her as he decided to let his curiosity remain unsatisfied for the moment. “So,” he started as he rocked on his feet, “Storm. I'm guessing that's your codename. Does everyone have their own?”

She nodded. “You'll fit right in, Doctor. Most of us will answer to either of our names, though we definitely have one we prefer.” She looked up to the cloudless sky. “You may call me Ororo,” she noted, turning her gaze back to him. “Do you have another name?”

He sighed softly, and looked down at his feet. “I can count the number of people in all of time and space who know it on one hand. It's not something I share easily.” Restlessly, he turned in place, taking in the surroundings as they lapsed into a restless silence.

A couple minutes later, Nightshade and Peter appeared from one of the growing shadows. The man was completely silver, and had the TARDIS resting comfortably on one shoulder. He strode to the jet with ease, and deposited his burden carefully. Nightshade, on the other hand, hadn't moved from where they had appeared. The Doctor started to walk towards her as she started to fall. He rushed the last couple steps, and let her collapse into his arms.

“I got it,” she wheezed as she turned over. “Your funny blue police box.”

“Thank you,” he said softly. She grinned feebly before completely passing out. He lifted her with ease, and headed towards the jet. Carefully, he set her down on one of the empty chairs and started to buckle her in.

“Go ahead and take any seat you want when you're ready,” Ororo stated as she passed by them. The ramp had been pulled up behind her with a few slight scraping noises.

The Doctor checked Nightshade's buckles one last time before looking to Storm, who had gone into the cockpit. “So where are we going?”

A man in the cockpit started flipping a few switches while Ororo turned to look at the Doctor. “Back to base. We should be there in a couple hours.”

Nodding, he took the seat next to Nightshade and adjusted the straps. As the jet took off, he looked at his odd rescuer, silently studying the distinct scar with a frown. _My fault,_ he thought, _though I doubt she blames me._ He sighed, and looked at the rest of the group. _I owe it to them to get to the bottom of this. And I hope they can give me enough answers to get me started._


	4. Safe and Sound

The sun had started to dip below the horizon by the time the jet landed, bringing a long, quiet ride to an end. After undoing his own restraints, the Doctor immediately turned to Nightshade. He placed his hand on her leg as he reached for the first buckle, and to his surprise, she jerked awake. Her tired eyes landed right on him. “We there already?” she asked with a yawn.

The Doctor nodded. “Where is 'there'?” he retorted as he straightened.

“You'll see soon.” She grinned as she tried to stand, but it vanished as she sunk back into her seat. “Guess I'm still a bit winded,” she grumbled.

The Doctor held a hand out to her, which she took, and he pulled her back to her feet before turning around. “Hop on,” he offered. A moment passed, and he turned to look at her. “It's not every day a time lord offers to carry anyone, let alone carry them twice,” he teased before turning again. She placed her hands on his shoulders, and slowly clambered on. Her knees pressed into his sides as he tucked his arms beneath her legs. “Ready?” She nodded against his shoulder. Smiling, he started following the large man carrying his TARDIS- Peter, if his memory was correct- out of the jet.

If anyone had asked, the Doctor honestly would have said that he hadn't known what to expect, but he certainly hadn't been expecting _that_. They had landed in what looked to be a system of well-lit caverns. Ororo couldn't hide her grin as she looked at the pair after they walked down the ramp. “We'll keep your police box in a small cove off the main cave for the X-jet,” she stated as she gestured in the direction Peter was headed. “We should probably get Nightshade to Jean before she finds out about it and hunts us down.” He nodded, and followed her.

Bright blue lanterns lit their path deeper in, and he swore he could feel the temperature start to dip a bit as they slowly descended into their base. No one else seemed to be in their particular tunnel, he noted, silently wondering why. Up ahead, he could see their path widening. Sure enough, Ororo led them into a great underground cavern with small lake squished up against one of the walls. A couple other tunnels led to other places- one was dotted with red lights, and the other with purple. Mentally, the Doctor scolded himself; the colors were simply for navigation, and clearly no one else needed to be where the jet had landed. There did seem to be several people lounging near the water, though, with a few more enjoying a swim. Only a couple seemed to notice the group that was returning.

As they started into the red tunnel, the Doctor felt Nightshade groan from her perch on his back. “Five bucks it was ol' Cyclops who ratted me out to his girlfriend,” she muttered sourly. 

“Something wrong?” he asked, trying to look at her as best as he could. 

She sighed. “Overly protective doctor.” 

He laughed. “Me? Already? Usually takes more than ten minutes spent with me for someone to figure out that.” 

She shook her head. “You'll see.” 

At the next intersection, a slender woman with short red hair stood in the middle of the tunnel, her arms crossed over her chest and her lips drawn tight with a scowl. As she glared at the Doctor's shoulder, he almost felt like Nightshade was trying to blend in with his coat. “We can do this the easy way, Nightshade, or we can do it the hard way.” 

Groaning, Nightshade tapped the Doctor on the shoulder, and let go, landing lightly on her feet. “Don't let them interrogate you until I make it back,” she whispered before stepping around him. “Alright Jean, I'll come quietly. Just no bright lights this time.” The redhead slipped her arm around the smaller girl, and ushered her down a hall lined with green lanterns while Ororo and Peter continued to follow the red ones. The Doctor tucked his hands into his pockets and continued, keeping a couple paces behind the pair. 

A few twists and turns later, the trio emerged from the red tunnel in a surprisingly plush space. In contrast to the sharp stalactites hanging down from the ceiling, the room was furnished with plenty of squishy chairs and couches. Most seats were occupied with an assortment of what the Doctor guessed were all mutants, though a few of them could easily pass for aliens. His gaze lingered on what was most likely a man with thick blue fur before passing on to a fellow standing near the cave wall with large white wings. As he continued to look around, he noticed only one was observing him- a bald man seated in a wheelchair. One arm was folded in his lap, while the other was raised; two fingers rested on his temple. His face was emotionless as he continued to look at the time lord. He lowered his arm, and turned his eyes towards Ororo with a small smile on his lips. 

“I assume the rescue mission was successful, Ororo?” 

Storm shrugged one shoulder in response. “Yes and no, Professor. Jean collected Nightshade on the way back, she'll be able to give you a full report once she arrives.” She stepped closer to the man in the wheelchair, waving the Doctor closer as she did so. “Charles, this is the Doctor. Doctor, this is our Professor.” 

“Even though I haven't been able to teach since we arrived, everyone still insists on calling me by my title,” he grumbled through a grin. “Charles Xavier.” He extended one hand out, and the Doctor shook it firmly. “Ororo, would you be so kind as to clear the room? You know who can stay.” She nodded, and started walking between the chairs and couches, tapping mutants on the shoulder and whispering instructions to them. The ones she approached stood, and headed out through the tunnel. Anxiously, the Doctor rocked back and forth on his heels. Once the room was mostly empty, Ororo took a seat near the entrance, and nodded to the Professor. He looked up at the Doctor once more. “I think the first question that must be asked, Doctor, is this: what are you?” 

The Doctor inhaled. “I'm... complicated.” 

“Neither myself nor Jean have been able to peek inside your mind. We've only a handful of mutants able to achieve such a feat without the aid of armor.” He paused, frowning. “It is the actions of a man that speak greater, however, and you wasted no time helping Nightshade. Why?” 

“She and I made a deal,” the Doctor answered hesitantly. “I keep to my word, and I imagine once she's given a clean bill of health that she'll do the same.” 

A frustrated growl sounded from the far end of the room. “Still think you should be sendin' her out on missions? She's been nothin' but trouble since she showed up.” The man who spoke was stout and stocky. His muscles were visible through the simple white shirt he wore. His hair seemed to spike out at two points, and the dark brown went all the way down to the ends of very distinct mutton chops. He definitely didn't look like a man to cross. 

“We're still lucky to have her, Logan,” the Professor replied. He looked over to the Doctor. “Did she know that you aren't human?” The Doctor nodded, and the Professor glared pointedly at the man on the far side of the room. “You see, Logan? It's likely she's only curious.” Logan rolled his eyes as he crossed his arms, but refrained from a response. The Professor glanced at the Doctor again before gesturing to the empty chair beside him. “You may as well have a seat while we wait.” 

The Doctor sat down. He crossed his feet at his ankles as he leaned back into the cushion. “So while we're just sitting here, tell me about Loki. Why would he target mutants?” 

“The simple answer to your question is that he can't control those of us with the mutated x-gene,” the Professor stated. 

“Mind control, blood control, remote control?” the Doctor ventured. 

“Only mind control, as far as we know.” 

“He hasn't ensnared the whole planet yet, has he?” 

The man with the blue fur stood, and walked closer. “We can only hope he hasn't,” he noted as he took a seat on the couch directly across from the time lord. 

“Doctor, this is Hank McCoy. He was one of the first mutants captured. Would you like to tell it, Hank, or shall I?” 

“Oh I think it's probably my turn,” Hank replied. “I used to be the Secretary for Mutant Affairs. Last fall, I attended a high-profile charity ball where a man named Lucian Laugesen was the guest of honor. I met him briefly at the event, and thought nothing of it. Much later that night, I was taken. I was restrained, and left alone in a plain cell after a sample of my blood was taken. After a few days, Lucian- Loki- came to speak to me, trying to convince me to willingly join him. Naturally, I refused. Disappointed, he left.” 

“Beast's disappearance went unnoticed for a couple of weeks. No reports published noted anything out of the ordinary, and it was only a wish to connect with him that alerted us to the problem. The majority were content to see what would happen, and to plan for a rescue mission in the near future, but there were a few of us who pushed for action.” Professor Xavier glanced to Logan briefly. “We used Cerebro to pinpoint his location. Most of our force agreed to go immediately, expecting to have the element of surprise. All we ended up having was a shock.” He looked to the solitary man again. “Will you elaborate, Logan, or shall I?” 

Logan snorted. “We hit one guard, and a whole damn army showed up to hit us back.” 

“What Logan fails to mention is that even with their powers, they failed to reach Beast at all, or pick up any information more useful than 'they kicked our butts.'” The Doctor turned as Nightshade strolled into the cave with a red apple in hand. She sunk onto the couch near Beast, who was smiling at her, without a glance at Logan, who was glowering at her. She leaned against the armrest, and tucked her feet up on the cushion beside her. 

“We all can't be sneaky cowards,” he retorted as he headed for the doorway. Jean was standing there, looking slightly less hostile even though her arms were still over her chest. Logan started to grin at her, before he noticed the man standing behind her, his fingers interlocked with her own. Instead, he snorted again, and headed out through the tunnel. 

Hank sighed heavily. “He's always been a good friend of mine, but he dislikes the feeling of owing anyone something.” He reached out, and patted Nightshade on the knee. “We'd be sunk if she hadn't come along.” She grinned halfheartedly before taking a bite of her apple. 

The Doctor cleared his throat. “So the rescue mission bit the big one. Not the big cheese. Though, technically, there is a moon made of cheese, and it did end up getting completely consumed, or, rather, it will, in, oh, six or seven centuries, give or take a few decades.” He tapped his feet against each other. “I like this tale so far, even without a cheesy moon. What happened next?” 

Hank and the Professor shared a look before Charles turned to the Doctor. “Our group had barely returned to the mansion when the attack started. Our location was quite well-known, and while their response time was terrifying, their action was not unpredictable. We managed to get most of our students out, and scatter to various safe residences. Only a few were captured, much to our chagrin, but there was very little we could do without a base.” 

“Students, you say?” 

The Professor nodded. “Most of us in this room helped to run a school for young mutants. We've done what we can to continue since we found these caves.” He looked around, his gaze pausing at each person. “Warren found these caves back in February, quite by accident,” he stated, staring at the young winged man. “It took a few trips to collect everyone. As I said, we had truly scattered, even though we had started to regain our allies at that point.” He gestured at Nightshade, who had just sunk her teeth into the apple. Suddenly aware of everyone watching her, she bit the piece off, chewed it and swallowed it as quickly as she could. 

“I was kidnapped in December,” she said. “I had gone with my boyfriend to a very classy party at the university. Lucian Laugesen, a gifted inventor, was playing host. Most of the guests were from the physics department- professors, mostly, and doctoral students, like said boyfriend. I had just about wrapped up my doctorate in underwater archeology, so though I could definitely keep up with the theoretical talk, I was mainly just along for the ride. It wasn't bad, as far as stuffy parties go. Lucian was a good host, he met each guest personally with a handshake, and seemed genuinely interested in everyone in attendance. We mingled, chatted, and argued for a few hours before my boyfriend dropped me back off at my apartment. 

“I had barely fallen asleep when I heard some scuffling. My bedroom door burst open, and several men snatched me up. One pressed a cloth to my face, and I blacked out. I was on a thick metal table in a plain white room when I awoke. The first thing I noticed was a piece of gauze was taped to my left elbow. I started to panic. I ran my hands over the rest of my body, but I couldn't find anything else different. Still anxious, but slightly relieved, I sat up right as the door opened. Lucian himself walked in. He asked, oddly enough, if I was comfortable. I wasn't. I definitely wasn't. He apologized, and told me it wouldn't be much longer. Someone knocked on the door, and he walked over. The other person said something I couldn't hear, but Lucian turned back to me quickly enough. 'I should have expected this,' he'd said. 'You mutants have become quite the thorn in my side.'” 

“Ah,” the Doctor interrupted. “Blood test.” 

Hank nodded. “It's the only way, so far, that Loki's been able to tell human from 'normal-looking' mutant.” Nightshade quickly took a bite of her snack. “Well, that and the immunity to mind control. Whatever method he's using, the mutated x-gene seems to be a natural block.” 

“He mentioned, sort of, that he wasn't able to take over mutants- he'd just needed the blood test to confirm that I was one.” 

“Up until that point,” Hank interjected, “from all the mutants we were able to rescue after Nightshade got loose, he had only captured those with physical changes caused by the mutation. Myself, Angel, and around fifty others all over the country.” 

“Like he had with Hank, he asked me if I wanted to join him, and also like Hank, I'd refused. Unlike Hank, though, once he had left me alone, I was able to get the heck out of there. I threaded my way straight out of the facility he'd taken me to. It was nearing dawn at that point, the sky was starting to brighten, but I was dead tired, so I picked a nice, comfy shadow to hide in and went straight to sleep. First thing when I woke up, I figured out how to get back to College Station. It wasn't too bad, I just followed the road away from the place. I made it back to my apartment without too much trouble. The door had been shut and locked, and nothing seemed to be touched, but I still wanted to get out of there, so I grabbed my purse and left. I went straight to the person I was closest to- my boyfriend. I woke him, and I would've felt bad about it if I hadn't been abducted the night before. We sat in his chair, with me curled up on his lap, and I told him everything. His first response, to my own surprise, was anger. I'd jumped off of him, trying to figure out what was wrong, when I noticed a subtle difference- his brown eyes weren't brown, they were blue. And he wasn't upset that I had been taken- he was pissed that I'd somehow gotten away. I was thankful for the first time that he was so much taller than me- I simply ducked his reach and got out the door before melting into the shadows. Once I was a few blocks away, I tried to figure out where to go next. 

“I really didn't know I was heading to campus before I was already headed straight towards the Dean's office. I should have known that it was a coincidence that he let me right in and listened to everything. He even asked for more details, trying to stretch my tale out as long as he could. A group of armed men barged into the office right as I got to the end of my story, and I finally noticed- his eyes were as blue as my now ex's had been. I did the sensible thing, and dove through a window to get the heck out, only to land right in the middle of a second squad. They promptly knocked me out, again, and took me back to their building. 

“They had no idea how I'd gotten out, but they sure weren't happy about it.” She pointed to the scar on her face with the apple. “Loki did this to me himself after I refused to tell him.” Her expressive face darkened. “It's not the only one he gave me either,” she snarled softly. “But, again, once I was left alone, I got out. I found my purse where they'd 'hidden' it- really, it's almost as if they wanted me to take it back- and was about to blow that popsicle stand when I heard a growl. Curious, I followed the noise into another cell, only to find Loki interrogating a blue fuzzball.” 

“Long story short,” Hank interrupted, “she sprung me from that cell. I'd only been there about three months at that point. I ended up bringing her to the Professor.” 

“And I've been running rescue missions and supply runs since,” she added. “I'm fairly sure Loki knows it's me at this point, but there isn't a thing in this world or any other that he can do to stop me. Not that he hasn't tried. He's moved prisoners, started new bases, set traps in old ones, the whole nine yards.” She smirked. “It's almost fun, pulling one over on him every time. Speaking of which, I should probably get to bed. Who's on the late night rotation, Professor?” She munched away at the last bits of her apple enthusiastically. 

“I am,” Hank answered from beside her. “We're leaving at two on the dot.” 

“I except a full report on your mission once you've rested,” the Professor added. 

Nightshade nodded to both, and stood. “Bed time it is then. Goodnight everyone.” She smiled at the Doctor once last time before vanishing and becoming a slim shadow that snaked its way out of the cave. 

The Professor sighed. “Impersonal, isn't she?” he asked. 

“A bit, yeah.” The Doctor stared at the last spot he had seen a moving shadow. “She's what, maybe twenty-five, at the most? And you've got her picking up supplies and hunting down the missing.” He sucked in a deep breath. “I'd bet she just wants someone to connect to.” 

“I think she prefers to keep to herself. She flat out refused to tell anyone her name for the first couple weeks,” Hank stated. “Logan called her Nightshade as a joke, and it stuck.” 

“She's someone whose mind neither Jean nor I have been able to penetrate. It's part of the reason Logan dislikes her so- the only reason we have to trust her is her continued efforts on our behalf, and we must continue to let her do so if we wish to survive.” The Professor paused, and looked to the Doctor. “Must we trust you as well?” 

He shrugged in response. “I doubt I'll be as much help as she is, but any enemy of Loki's is someone I would definitely prefer to stick to.” 

Charles Xavier smiled. “Welcome to the Mutant Caves, then, Doctor.”


	5. Another Name for Poison

“I trust you slept well, Doctor?” 

The Doctor put his sandwich back on his plate, and turned to Nightshade, who had pulled up a chair beside him. “Well enough, I suppose. Caves are some of the nicest places to sleep, after all. Not _the_ nicest, of course, but I've yet to go to a place nicer than a cute little moon called Falabalaforingatin. The nights last _exactly_ as long as you need them to. Pity you have to wait for, oh, ten years to get your night.” He smiled at her. “Supply run went well, then?” 

She nodded. “It's always easier when I'm not grouped with Wolverine.” 

“What's the problem between you two anyway?” 

Sighing, she tucked one foot up beneath her on her seat. “As far as I can tell, he never liked that I was the one who saved Hank. He's actually the one who gave me the name Nightshade.” 

The Doctor pulled a piece of crust off of his sandwich, and ate it. “It wasn't a joke, then.” 

“No, it wasn't.” She smiled halfheartedly. “Well, actually, it started as one. Bobby had insisted that since I basically send myself through shadows, I should go by the name Shadowfax. Pretty much everyone who heard had laughed, and I'd started to toy with that nickname in my head. Wolverine, though, said that I wasn't half that majestic, and that since I was such a poisonous bitch, Nightshade was a lot better. Sadly, it stuck.” She frowned for a moment before exhaling. “So what did you do all morning?” 

Caught between bites, the Doctor hastily swallowed. “Oh not too much. Explored the caves a bit, met people. Made a game out of guessing everyone's mutation. Some just absolutely stumped me.” 

Nightshade nodded. “Shadowcat?” she asked as the Doctor took another bite. 

“I've only met a few people able to go through walls. Most of them were ghosts.” He paused, and looked at the girl sitting next to him. “Why is she not part of the rescue missions?” 

“It's... a combination of a couple things,” she answered slowly. “The two of us usually scout a whole complex together, but when it comes to extractions... She can go through walls, yes, and even take someone with her, but most of Loki's facilities have big stretches of grass between the outer walls. It's not easy to shake off a squad of guards driving a car when you're on foot and trying to make it to the Blackbird.” Pausing, she started tapping her fingers on the table. “She's a big help with supply runs, though. I'm really only needed for medicine runs, but Hank likes to make sure I do more than explore the caves or practice with Kitty. She had Colossus move a couple of large boulders into one of the caves for us; we take turns working on them with our powers. Inorganic materials are rougher for both of us to work with.” 

“Ah, that's why you passed out after bringing the TARDIS to the jet.” 

She shrugged. “Usually Pete and I can take about three pallets of supplies in one trip without an issue, depending on what we're grabbing.” She straightened up a bit, her eyes flashing slightly. “It's not just some old wooden police box, is it?” 

Grinning, the Doctor ate the last bite of his lunch. “I'll make you a deal, I'll take you inside it if you lead me to it.” 

She matched his smile without hesitation. “Absolutely!” 

The Doctor stood, and, after grabbing his plate, he headed towards the exit of the cavernous room that served as cafeteria. He set the dirty dish atop a pile of them stacked on the trash can. Nightshade fell into step with him, her long ebony hair swinging back and forth as she walked. A long black coat that fell past her knees swished as she walked. Its long sleeves completely hid her fingers, and the coat definitely hung limply over her thin frame. “Bit big for you, isn't it?” he asked, stuffing his hands into his coat pockets. 

She shook her head with a smile. “Yeah, it is, but it's my favorite. Especially since I've turned into a ninja.” Mid-stride, she jumped and kicked the air in front of her. The long coat billowed behind her, its red lining catching the Doctor's eye. 

“You know, there's a whole planet of ninjas.” She glanced at him with one eyebrow raised. “Always seems empty every time you visit, but if you make a mess, it vanishes instantly.” She laughed. “But red definitely isn't your color.” 

“I know,” Nightshade admitted with a sigh, “but it's what I've got. I picked it up on one of our first runs, and, well, I've definitely gotten attached to it.” She turned, following the blue lights on the walls. “After we found this place, and could really start rescuing people, we had to add clothes to our necessary supply list.” She exhaled in a huff. “Logan, of course, thought it was a great idea to just grab a couple racks of clothes and call it good. Unfortunately, he decided to go big, and had Colossus snap up the biggest racks he could find- clearance racks. Not only do we have to avoid that store now, but practically no one got anything useful since they only grabbed one size for each gender.” She glanced over at the Doctor. “He hadn't liked me before that; he's hated me since.” 

As they rounded one last corner, the Blackbird came into focus in front of them. Instead of heading towards the plane, she turned, leading the way down a smaller side passage. She stopped, and took a step aside. Smiling wistfully, the Doctor extracted a key from his pocket as he walked toward the TARDIS. He patted the side gratefully before unlocking the door and pushing it open. “You are coming, right?” he called over his shoulder with a grin before stepping inside. Light footsteps hit the ground behind him as he took his coat off and threw it over the rail. That same sound decrescendo-ed as he fondly ran his hand over the main console. He turned to see Nightshade standing in the doorway, her eyes darting around excitedly. 

“It's... it's...” 

“Come on, say it!” he exclaimed. 

“It's bigger on the inside,” she gasped. 

“I love it when people say that.” He turned, and leaned against the controls, crossing his arms and his legs. “You really should see the rest. There's a swimming pool, an armory, a garden, a wardrobe...” His voice trailed off as she ran up the stairs and down the hallway. A sigh escaped his lips. _Probably should have told her to wait,_ he thought. _Not that I can blame her for her enthusiasm._ He tapped his foot against the empty air, humming softly as he did. 

“I _definitely_ want to look around more later,” Nightshade stated as she walked down the stairs. The Doctor looked over at her. The oversized coat was temporarily gone, replaced with a bright purple cloak, and she had a long, slightly worn sword in hand. 

“So, are we fighting dragons, Sir Galahad? Or simply walking to Mordor?” 

She gaped at him, and pulled at the cloak with her free hand. “You mean...” 

“Yes.” 

“It's actually...” 

“Yes.” 

She dropped the cloak, her eyes falling to the sword. “And...” 

“Yes. Well, yes and no. It's not actually Glamdring, but it is the primary Glamdring used in the films. And yes, it's real. Not that many of them were fake. Some of them were only used for close-ups, though. Cosmetic doubles, I suppose you could call them. Like what Hollywood uses in about ten thousand years. Well, with clones instead of swords. Cloning gets pretty rampant, though. Nearly wipes out the whole human race.” She raised one eyebrow in response. “That's far beyond your time, though; no need to really worry about it.” 

“...this thing actually flies through space?” 

“ _She_ travels in space, and through time.” He pivoted on one foot and rested both hands on the console. “And Loki knew both. Question, though, is what he used to trap me with.” He looked over to Nightshade. “Wouldn't be too hard to do so, not with the right technology, but Earth doesn't have most of that yet.” He typed out a few words on the keyboard, his eyes on the closest screen. “Anything capable would have been left here by someone else.” He paused, staring at the screen with a scowl. “Or maybe he just got lucky.” 

“And there's no way to test it, is there?” 

The Doctor looked over to her, a gleam in his brown eyes. “I'd hold on tight, if I were you,” he suggested as he shifted his focus back to the controls. The metallic sound of the sword tapping the railing let him know his passenger was, hopefully, ready as he set the date for the day he had left Loki in New Mexico. With a glance to her, he pulled a final lever. “Allons-y!” 

The engine whirred to life. It wheezed in its old familiar way, and the Doctor had just started to grin when the TARDIS jerked. He leaned into the controls, rapidly tapping buttons and twisting knobs in an attempt to gain control again. The time machine jolted once more before coming to a halt. Frowning, he bolted to the entrance and yanked the door open as a pair of footsteps came to a stop behind him. 

If he had been any younger, the Doctor was sure he would have been gaping at the sight in front of him. As it was, his temporary companion was doing so in his stead. He felt like he was trying to watch two films simultaneously with 3D glasses; a pair of contrasting scenes were superimposed. In one, a familiar man paced through a white hall with a gold staff clutched tightly in his hand. The second showed a dark gray area with the same man covered in chains. Blood dripped from each of his trapped limbs as steadily as his counterpart seemed to ooze confidence. The Doctor looked from one Loki to the other several times. Slowly, his eyes widened. 

“It's a paradox,” he whispered. With a start, he slammed the doors shut again before jumping back on the controls. 

“What was _that_?” Nightshade asked as she walked back to the railing. 

The Doctor pulled one last lever, and the TARDIS sprang to life again. He examined the nearest monitor for a moment before darting to the doors yet again. He pulled them open, and glanced out. The Blackbird loomed down the passageway in front of him. Breathing a sigh of relief, he turned around. 

“That was trouble,” he replied. “Do you know what a paradox is?” 

She stared at him, her brow furrowed, before slowly nodding. “Those were both Loki?” 

“Yes.” 

“How?!” 

His lips tightened, and he lowered himself to the floor. He settled his back against the console, and leaned his head back to look up at her. “Might as well sit down for this.” She nodded, and sat beside him with Glamdring resting in her lap. “Much as it pains me to admit it, I might have accidentally inadvertently put Loki in power.” He tilted his head to peek at her, only to have her raise an eyebrow in reply. “He can shape-shift, or something similar, and he convinced me to save him in the past, which ripped apart the fabric of time and created this wonderful paradox.” Her eyebrows furrowed. He sighed softly, and crossed his arms; he would need to try a different approach. “Okay. Think of two separate time-lines. The first is what would happen if Loki didn't take over; the second is the one we're currently in. Loki, in the future of the first time-line, tricked me into saving himself in the past, which caused the split and made the second.” 

“...so you're saying I don't exist in the other one?” 

The Doctor shook his head. “No, not at all. You still exist, but, on... what day is it?” 

“June 14th, 2012.” 

“Okay. On that same date, in the other time-line, you wouldn't be here. Possibly wouldn't even be with the rest of the mutants. Think of it like you're a leaf on a pond.” 

Nightshade nodded. “If Loki hadn't caused that set of ripples...” 

“Exactly. So. In creating the alternate time-line, Loki is causing some fixed points in history to change.” 

“Fixed points?” 

“They're, well, important historic events. Like... like the moon landing, or the J.F.K. assassination. Things that rightly _should_ happen. It's against one of the time laws to purposely change these events.” 

She nodded again, and ran her hand down the blade absentmindedly. “What exactly are you, Doctor?” 

“I'm a Time Lord. I'm from the planet Gallifrey in the constellation Kasterborous. Aside from that... I'm just a man trying to do the right thing.” He locked eyes with her. “Is stopping Loki the right thing?” Gaping slightly, she slowly nodded. “Why?” 

She clenched her teeth for a moment, causing her scar to ripple seemingly pop from her cheek. “He created an alternate-” The Doctor shook his head. “He kidnapped-” Another shake. “He assaulted-” He shook his head again, and sighed. Nightshade hesitated, her eyes dropping to the sword. "He took away everything I had.” She looked up. “He's using mind control.” 

The Doctor finally nodded. “Even on a small scale that's never a good thing.” He paused, tapping his feet against the air. “And I've got no patience for people who strip free will from others.” His brown eyes traced the jagged scar that streaked across her cheek before meeting her lavender ones. “If everything hadn't gone belly-up, where would you be?” 

She shrugged. “I'd have just finished up my doctorate. I'd probably be traveling.” 

“You're a doctor, too!” 

She grinned sheepishly while shaking her head. “Not in the same way you are, I'd imagine.” 

The Doctor smiled back halfheartedly. “Would you change anything? Would you rather not be the one rescuing other mutants from Loki?” She shook her head again. “Then we're not so different.” He tucked his hands into his pockets. “And we both want to stop Loki.” Brown eyes met lavender ones. “Can I count on you, Doctor Nightshade?” 

She bit her lip, and shifted her grip on the sword. “Winters. Evelyn Winters.” 

The Doctor hesitated slightly, but then his grin grew. _I know that name. Not sure where. Might have to look her up in the archive later._ “Much better than Nightshade. Although, nightshade is also known as 'bella donna,' which means both deadly nightshade, and beautiful woman.” 

Her eyebrow shot up. “Are you flirting with me, Doctor?” she asked with a smirk. 

“No!” he answered quickly as he averted his gaze. “I was just pointing out the duality of the nickname.” 

“Are you saying _Wolverine_ of all people was flirting with me?” 

She met his eyes. “No,” they both agreed. 

The Doctor smiled briefly before pursing his lips thoughtfully. “So! The main question left is how we stop Loki.” He sprang to his feet, holding a hand out to Evelyn. Gratefully, she took it, and, sword still in hand, she stood. “I think it's time we talked to Professor X.” 

“Sure. I still need to give him my report anyway.” She sprang towards the door before darting back up the stairs. “I'll just put these back first.” Her footsteps faded into the depths of the TARDIS and stopped completely for a moment before picking back up again. “I'm sure a sword won't help me against Wolverine.” He chuckled as she paused at the open door. “I want to run and grab a snack, want anything?” He shook his head. With another nod, she turned, her black hair whipping behind her and vanishing. 

The Time Lord let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding before he turned to the controls and typed in her name. The article loaded quickly. “Doctor Evelyn Lucille Winters,” he murmured aloud as he skimmed the information. _“Underwater archaeologist. Got her degree at Texas A & M. Best known for the discovery of Atlantis in 2013.”_ The Doctor smiled. _“Her discovery paled in comparison to the controversy of her admittance to being a mutant, and to also using her powers to aid her discovery.”_ He sighed before rubbing his chin thoughtfully. _I wonder if I can change that..._ With a few more taps, he cleared his screen, and snatched his coat as he headed for the door. _It'll have to wait for now, though._ He smiled again as he locked the TARDIS again. _But it'll give me something to look forward to._


	6. Everybody Talks Too Much

The Doctor hummed as he walked through the tunnels. His hands were stuffed into the pockets of his coat, as usual. He had opted to take the long way back- or, rather, he had taken a wrong turn. Instead of doubling back once he spotted his mistake, he opted to follow the wrong lanterns, recalling that most of them led back to the main cavern eventually. _Yellow_ , he noted, glancing at the glowing lights. _I don't think I've followed yellow yet._ Grinning, he switched to whistling “Follow the Yellow Brick Road.” He rounded a corner, and froze, the song stopping as his hearts caught in his throat. 

A large assortment of plants were tucked away in the cave. Sunlight streamed in from a skylight, and he could hear the soft trickle of water from the rear of the makeshift garden. But none of that had caused him to stop. The smell and the sight of one particular plant, however, had stopped him in his tracks immediately. 

_Rose._

He strode in, his jaw clenched tight, and reached out to a blue flower. In contrast to the velvet petal under his fingers, his breathing was ragged. Everything about it reminded him of his recent companion. It was a young bloom, beautiful and full of raw potential. It was alone, too; all of the other rosebuds made a rainbow of colors, though none matched that deep shade. He slipped his fingers gingerly around the stem, expertly avoiding the thorns, as his eyes begun to water. _I left her_ , he mourned mentally. _I left her without saying it. “I love you.” That's all she'd needed. She'd said it to me, and I left it unsaid because I didn't say it soon enough._ A soft sigh escaped his lips. _And now she's gone. I can't get back to her._ He closed his eyes, only to see her standing on that beach in the parallel universe, a billion miles away. Her family in the distance, their faces all concerned. His eyelids fluttered open again and let a single tear loose. It streaked down his cheek, fell from his chin, and landed squarely on the rose. Gasping quietly, he released his grip, and pulled his shuddering hand back into his pocket. 

_I've been distracted,_ he thought as he turned and strode back into the hallway. _I haven't let myself stop and think like that._ He shifted his shoulders with a huff. _I can't let it happen again. Not yet._ He exhaled loudly. _At least I can most likely stay distracted._ Another sigh escaped his lips. _I can't believe Evelyn thought I was flirting with her._ He slowed to a stop. _Well, maybe I can. But it feels wrong._ He turned, and started to pace the yellow hall. _Not that she's wrong. Smart, brave, curious._ With another breath, he paused and rested his shoulder and head against the wall. _But she's not Rose. And no one else will ever be._ He shut his eyes for a moment, only to see Rose standing in front of him. Startled, he forced his eyes open again and pushed himself away from the wall. He adjusted his coat restlessly as he tried to collect himself before steadily resuming his walk towards the collected mutants. 

The Doctor looked up to check the lanterns as he approached a split, and followed the fork to the right. His lips twitched upwards slightly as his ears picked up on the soft din of distant conversation. Sure enough, he turned one more corner and found himself at the cavern with the lake. Confidently, he followed the red lanterns. 

“About time you got here!” Evelyn exclaimed from her station near the entrance. “I figured you'd head here first, but I didn't think it would take you quite this long.” 

“I got a bit... sidetracked,” he stated with a downward glance. He caught her lips falling to a frown out of the corner of his eye. “Are we waiting for the professor?” he asked as he glanced around. 

She shook her head. “He's not here. I've got a pretty good guess where to find him, though, but I figured you'd check here first, and, well, since it was close to the kitchen...” She tossed the pear she had been holding into the air and caught it with ease, causing him to scowl and her to furrow her brow in reply. “What?” 

“I hate pears,” he muttered sourly. Her eyes softened, and she hastened to tuck it into her pocket. “You can still eat it, it's not like I'm allergic. They just rank pretty high on my disgusting food list. Well, this regeneration's list, anyway. Not quite as high as anything from Perv, but really, all of their food makes my list every time.” 

Evelyn tilted her head slightly as she tossed the pear again. “Regeneration?” 

The Doctor sucked air in through his teeth. “It's... complicated.” 

She nodded, and started walking down the hallway. “I'll lead, you'll explain,” she called over her shoulder as she paused. 

He caught up to her with a couple of steps, and both started walking side by side. “If you were to stab me with your pear,” he began, smiling, “I'd die.” 

She rolled her eyes. “A pear wouldn't kill you.” 

“Well, no, it wouldn't. Like I said I'm not allergic. Actually not allergic to anything, which is nice. But if it did. I would be dead. Well. I would start to die, but instead of staying dead... I'd regenerate.” A crunch from beside him bounced off the walls as Evelyn took a bite of her snack. “I get a new face. Well, new to me. Sometimes I look younger, sometimes I look older, it's always a lottery. I'm still me- the Doctor. The last of the Time Lords. And I still have all of my memories. But each time, I'm... different.” She raised the pear to her lips again as they rounded a corner. “Like pears. This time, I hate pears. Last time I hated bananas. Who knows, next time I might hate apples.” She chuckled slightly as she chewed. “Same and not, all at once.” 

“Sounds like you're your own paradox,” she teased. 

He grinned. “My secret's out, I'm really a paradoxical paradigm.” 

She shook her head with a laugh. Her grin faded, though, as she looked at him again. “How many...” 

“Ten,” he answered curtly. 

She nodded, and took another bite. Their footsteps echoed off the walls as the silence stretched. “Do you always dress this oddly?” she asked. 

One glance at her told the Doctor that she was trying not to smile. He simply rolled his eyes. “Blue is always a good color for me. Well, usually. Well, sometimes.” He glanced at her again, and both shared a laugh that bounced off the cave walls happily. 

After a couple more turns, the pair found themselves at the mouth of a rather small cave. A large formation of quartz practically glowed in the soft light. Professor Charles Xavier was hidden behind a plain wooden desk. He looked up from the notebook he was writing in as the pair walked closer. “I was beginning to wonder if I would actually see you today, Nightshade,” he said with a smile. “You're here to make your report, I assume.” 

The Doctor and Evelyn exchanged a quick glance before looking back to the Professor. “Among other things, yes.” Nodding, the Professor gestured to the chairs in front of his desk. Nightshade sunk into one immediately, tucking one foot underneath her as she sat, leaving the Doctor to take the other open seat. “Last night's run went flawlessly. We picked up everything we needed to completely restock our medicals supplies, as Jean requested, and we even managed to sneak out a couple of beds. Should make moving people easier, if we ever need to.” 

The Professor jotted down a quick note before looking back up to her. “And the raid on the base?” He set his pen down. “Ororo mentioned it took longer than usual.” 

Evelyn scowled. “I had trouble accessing the computer. They changed the password again, and it didn't match any I could remember, so I decided to wait and see if I would have any luck. After roughly a half hour, I gave up and did a search through the holding cells.” She looked over to the Doctor. “All I found was a goofy alien and his odd blue box.” He smiled at her before she turned back to the Professor. 

“Was Loki there?” 

The Doctor nodded. “He and I spoke before I was locked up.” 

“And you decided to take one of his prisoners anyway?” Nightshade shrunk down a bit in her seat. “You know the protocol for this, Nightshade! You endangered our entire crew to save one person from his clutches.” The Professor looked to the Doctor apologetically. “I am not upset that you were rescued, Doctor; it is merely the circumstance that displeases me.” He turned to Nightshade again. “We are fortunate that your actions weren't discovered in time for them to follow us. Without your skill we would definitely lack most of our number, but you cannot ignore an order for our continued safety. As helpful as your abilities are, I will insist we continue without them should you fail to follow our rules again.” Nightshade nodded glumly, and the Professor looked to the frowning Doctor. “I don't need to be psychic to see that there is more to be discussed.” 

Sighing, the Doctor nodded. “I want to know what Loki's after. And I want to know more about his mind control.” 

The Professor leaned forward onto the desk. “For all our attempts, we've yet to uncover his motivation. All of our limited research has led us to believe that he did not exist before April of 2010.” 

“And what of his alias?” 

“Same thing,” Nightshade chimed in, “more or less. There are some records of Lucian Laugesen that stretch further back, but once we figured out a couple of them were falsified, it wasn't hard to debunk the rest.” 

“Unfortunately, all of that work was only started in March, once we'd started to settle here and regain our numbers. We lacked someone with technological expertise in the smaller group Hank and Nightshade originally joined, so though they brought us that piece of information, we were unable to capitalize on it as quickly as we would have liked.” 

The Doctor pressed his lips together tightly for a moment. “You don't want to give Loki time to figure out how to control mutants.” The Professor nodded. “What if he does? What then?” 

“Then we do all we can to stop him before he gets all of us.” He looked between the pair seated in front of him. “Our only problem is we know close to nothing about his mind control.” 

Evelyn bit her lip thoughtfully. “We could try to chat with everyone he kidnapped, see if there's anything in common.” She glanced back at the Professor. “Can we see if Forge would be up to going on our next base run? I know he can easily get into the system, he might be able to pull up something useful.” 

“You may ask him.” 

She nodded. “Are the missions set for the rest of the month yet?” 

“No, not yet, though Ororo mentioned that it is about time to refuel the Blackbird.” The Professor shifted his notebook out of the way to pull out a small stack of papers. “We are due for a food run sometime in the next week.” He ran a finger down a list in front of him. “Logan has requested to go. I think it wise to keep you both separated still; your next mission will not be that one.” 

“Any updates on the missing mutant list?” 

“None. I would prefer to hold off a rescue raid for the moment. Unless that changes, I think the 28th will suffice for the next one.” He looked back up at her. “Is there anything else?” he asked, also looking to the Doctor. The pair shared a look before shaking their heads. “Very well. You will be updated if anything changes.” 

Nodding, Nightshade pulled herself to her feet and headed out of the small office. The Doctor quickly mirrored her action. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and fell into step beside her. She kept her chin up until after they turned the first corner. Dejectedly, she crossed her arms over her chest. Frowning, he looked over at her. 

“For what it's worth, thank you, and I'm sorry.” 

She slowed down before turning to look at him. “I deserved the lecture,” she admitted. 

“Doesn't make me any less grateful,” he noted gently. 

She snorted in amusement before sighing softly. “I really need to unwind after that.” 

“Of course. We've got time. Well, for now, we have time.” He wrapped one arm around her think shoulders. “We can start talking to his ex-captives tomorrow. Or the day after. I think you've more than earned a day off.” _And I really want to search through my library to see what I can dig up on mind control. Hopefully I can find something. Anything, really._ He pulled her closer. “Shame we're only going to be able to do so much until we can get back on a base again. I definitely want to find out why he's doing all of this.” 

Evelyn shrugged, causing his arm to move up and down. “Probably just because he's a power- hungry nutcase with the means and the brains to do it.” 

The Doctor laughed awkwardly. _You might be more right than you know._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's no coincidence I'm listening to 'Dark Lord Funk' while posting this, because yeah, I'm evil. And don't worry, we'll be getting more action. Soon. Well, soon-ish. As for more Loki, well, he is getting his own story; after all, he had to take over the whole world _somehow_.


	7. Poker Face

The Doctor was frustrated. 

In theory, he had thought the idea to talk to everyone who had been captured by Loki was a good one. But after several similar reports, his faith in the plan had started to falter. 

Sighing, he leaned back against the rock wall and thought through the information he had. 

For the most part, all of them followed the same template. The soon-to-be-kidnapped would personally meet Loki (always using the name Lucian) at a social event of some sort. All of them had either been scientific or political. And none of them really remarked on anything spectacular- nothing about their encounters with the man seemed to stick out. Then, within the next day or two, they would find themselves taken from their homes. Loki would approach them after their capture, and extend the invitation to join him. Of course, no one knew what happened to anyone who agreed, if anyone agreed. But those who declined the offer found themselves trapped. A couple had tried to escape, without positive results. All of them reported that, for the most part, they were left alone in their room. 

Aside from their ability to throw off the mind control, nothing really linked all of the victims. The earlier kidnappings, as Hank had pointed out, had happened to mutants with very visible mutations. The later ones, including the few humans, all outwardly appeared to be 'normal.' And all of them saw Loki twice, and only twice- except for Evelyn. 

He sat up straighter. Had there been something to her own story they were missing? Curious, he pushed himself to his feet. He had taken over Evelyn's room- a small cave with a plush bed, a trickling waterfall with a perfect rock seat next to it and no very easy way to get back to the main caves. He crossed over to the bed, and tapped the biggest stalactite three times. Evelyn had been working on using shadows as motion detectors, and had gladly offered the Doctor a quiet place to think in exchange for him being the guinea pig for testing her power. Mostly, she wanted to see if she could detect movement in a specific spot from a long distance. He pulled his sonic screwdriver out of his pocket and tapped the button to check the time. He still had twenty more minutes before Evelyn would come get him, in case he didn't signal her or she didn't catch it. Anxiously, he started to pace the small area. 

“You're not trying to wear a hole in my floor, are you?” Smiling, he wheeled around. Evelyn was leaning against the pillows on her bed. She matched his grin as she sat up and tucked her legs underneath her. “It worked!” 

He sat down on the other side of the bed. “That's good,” he conceded, his smile fading. 

“Something wrong?” 

“Nah, just thinking.” She put her elbow on her knee and rested her chin on her hand. “I want to go over your kidnapping again.” 

She frowned. “I've already told you twice, I don't think we're going to get anything else new out of it.” 

“Yeah, but have you skipped anything? Anything at all.” 

She tapped her scar absentmindedly as she thought. “Well...” 

“Well?” 

She covered her face with her hands. “ImighthaveflirtedwithLoki.” 

“Sorry, didn't catch that.” 

“I might have flirted with Loki,” she repeated as she ruefully peeked out from behind her hands. 

The Doctor smiled sadly before shrugging. “Well, he's not my type but he's definitely not bad.” She snorted, and hid a grin of her own in her hands. “Did you notice his eyes first?” She nodded sheepishly, and he grinned again. “Green's not your favorite color, is it?” She shook her head, her ponytail whipping wildly from side to side. “His are a bit mesmerizing anyway, aren't they?” She nodded again as she ducked back into her hands. Is she upset because of who he is? She shyly peeked out at him before her gaze darted elsewhere. He gently placed one hand on her knee. “What else happened?” 

She slowly dropped her hands. Her fingertips trailed over the back of his hand before coming to a rest. “Well, like I've said before, he introduced himself. We chatted for a bit, and then he split off and talked to other guests.” She leaned in towards him slightly. 

“Walk me through the whole conversation,” he requested with a frown as he moved his hand. 

She groaned. “He started by teasing me about how much I was drinking.” The Doctor raised one eyebrow quizzically. “It was a physics department holiday party. I wouldn't have made it through if I hadn't had _something_ alcoholic.” He nodded with a small smile. “He then went on to try to guess what department I was from, and then I told him my name.” Her cheeks reddened slightly as she turned her head away. “And instead of shaking my hand he kissed the back of it.” 

“Charming.” 

Her blush deepened. “Yeah, well... Anyway, he drifted off soon after, and I really didn't see much of him for the rest of the night. Jonathan and I left relatively early, and I was kidnapped later that night.” With a deep breath, she looked back up to the Doctor. “I don't need to go over that again, do I?” 

He shook his head. “No, I don't think so.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “I think however he initiates the mind control he-” Pausing, he sat up straight. “Of course! Why I hadn't I thought of that earlier! He even tried it on me. Not that it had any chance of actually working, but he wouldn't have known that.” He looked at Evelyn. “He took your hand.” 

“And kissed the back of it.” 

“Yeah but that's not the point.” He shifted himself closer to her, and held one hand out. “Shake my hand.” 

“Why?” 

“I'll explain it in a minute, just shake my hand.” Nodding, she slowly lifted her own hand to his and grasped it firmly. “Now, what are we doing?” 

“...shaking hands?” 

“Bit more basic than that.” 

“...touching?” 

“Physical contact. It's one of the quickest and most direct ways to establish mind control. Well, without needing extra devices. Well, ones on those being controlled, anyway.” He pulled his hand away. “Means that Loki has to have some sort of device to initiate all of it.” 

“And if we can get it away from him...” 

“Eh, it might work. Might or might not. Just taking it away from him might not completely 'cure' anyone whose mind he's taken over. And besides, that wouldn't stop the paradox.” 

“So how do we fix that?” 

“No clue.” 

Evelyn sighed. “Great.” 

The Doctor patted her knee again. “We'll get there.” 

“What will happen when we fix it?” she asked hesitantly. 

Frowning, he shrugged. “It's different every time. Just have to wait and see.” _And hopefully it won't be bad._

\- - - - - - - - - -

“Where's Nightshade?” 

The Doctor looked up from his hand of cards. Against Evelyn's advice, he had been playing poker with Gambit. Well, more accurately, he was losing, which made him grateful they were only playing with Skittles, and also grateful for the interruption. Wolverine was looming over their table, his thick arms crossed over his chest. 

“No idea,” he answered as he tossed the cards across the table. Remy pulled the small pile of candy over to his side before sweeping the cards up and shuffling them smoothly with a smirk. 

The larger man huffed as he sank into an empty chair. “The Professor wants her. Said something about the next rescue mission.” With more speed than the Time Lord would have guessed, the newcomer snatched a purple piece of candy from the dealer's rather large collection and popped it into his mouth. 

Without setting the deck down, Remy tossed an unopened package of candy from the pile of bags at Logan. “You in?” he asked, resuming his shuffling. 

The other mutant nodded as he ripped the bag open and poured the candy onto the table. “Sure, why not.” 

“You owe me a twenty,” Remy pointed out as he started to deal. Scowling, Logan slid a purple one over to the other man's pile. “Thank ya kindly,” he drawled, causing Logan to snort. 

The Doctor picked his cards up before frowning. “I might need another bag if we go on for much longer.” 

“Down on your luck, Doc?” Wolverine questioned as he picked up his own hand. 

“Well, it's not so much that I'm down.” He slid a yellow piece to the middle. “I was warned against playing with Remy.” 

The Cajun grinned as he pushed both a red and yellow candy in. “Nigh'shade jus' don' like losin'.” 

Logan snorted again as he matched the bet. “No one likes being cheated.” 

“Wasn' cheatin'. I jus'... Pushed th' odds in my favor.” 

“You hid the face cards under the table.” 

“An' she pulled 'em righ' into her hand anyway.” 

The Doctor pushed a red candy into the pot as he watched Logan shake his head. “It's why I'm never playing cards with her.” 

Remy picked the deck back up. “She wa' only retaliatin'.” 

The Doctor slid three cards across the table. “Still. From what Jean said, she had two straight flushes that game.” Seamlessly, the Cajun tossed a trio of cards over to the Time Lord. “Seems to me like she pushed her advantage.” 

Logan tossed two cards over as Remy dealt two back with a scowl. “We all know ya hate 'er, Logan.” 

“I don't hate her,” he retorted as the Doctor pushed three green candies in. “I just can't stand her,” he corrected, tossing his cards over to Remy before eating a couple of his candies. 

“Close 'nuff.” Remy rolled three of his own green ones into the pile before flipping his hand up to reveal three fives, a four and a Jack. 

The Doctor set his own cards on the table face-up, showing a full house of eights and sevens. With a grin, he added his winnings to his own small stash. “Are we playing again?” 

Logan shook his head as he ate the rest of his pile. “I should pretend to be responsible and actually go find the poison.” 

“I'll go find 'er,” Remy offered as he spotted the grimace forming on the Time Lord's face. He pushed the deck towards Logan as he stood up. “Jus' don' eat my winnins while I'm gone.” The Doctor nodded, and with a small smile, Gambit turned and headed towards the other end of the cave. 

“You really don't get along with her, do you?” 

Logan shook his head as he started to shuffle. “I think she's a danger,” he stated finally as he started to deal. 

“And I'm not?” 

He shrugged. “I honestly don't know yet, Doc.” After glancing at his cards, he slid a red piece and a green piece into the middle. “You haven't been hostile.” 

As he pushed a couple of his own candies in, the Doctor raised one eyebrow quizzically. “And she was? She doesn't seem the type to pick a fight.” He popped an orange one into his mouth. “Finish one, probably, but not intentionally start one.” 

Logan huffed and set one card aside before drawing another. He traced the edge of one card with his finger as the Doctor drew his own pair. “She showed up outta nowhere and suddenly she was running everything,” he replied finally. Hesitantly, he pushed a couple of Skittles in his pile around before shoving a purple and a red one into the center. “I just don't like it.” 

With a nod, the Doctor matched the bet. _Seems to me like he's a bit jealous_ , he thought as he laid his hand down, revealing a simple straight. Logan's lips twitched as he set down his own cards. Four nines and a two. He gathered up his winnings as the Doctor pulled the cards together before mixing them up again. 

A comfortable silence fell between the two as the next hand was played, followed by another, and yet another. The Doctor soon lost track of the hands, mostly because he didn't really mind- it was nice just to play, even if it was a tad quiet for his tastes. 

He had just won with a full house when Remy reappeared alone. Quietly, he sank into his chair and started sorting through his candy. The Doctor tossed his hand away with a small frown. “Any luck?” 

Remy nodded. “Took me a bit but yeah. She wen' off to see the Professo'.” He held his hand out for the deck, which Logan immediately pressed into his palm. “She'll be alon' shortly.” 

“I'll take that as my cue to leave.” Logan snatched up his few remaining candies as he pushed his chair back. “Nice playing with ya, Doc.” His eyes narrowed at Remy as he stood. “Try to fix your hair next time, Gambit,” he quipped before walking out. 

The Doctor watched the imposing mutant until he turned the corner before looking at Remy. The gambler was running his fingers through his rather unkempt hair in an attempt to tame it slightly. “How long did it really take you to find her?” he asked as he tried to repress the small pang of jealousy that hit his gut. 

The Cajun smirked. “A gentleman don' kiss and tell.” 

“Technically that counts,” the Doctor noted with sad smile. Remy didn't seem to notice, however, and elected to deal the cards instead. 

A couple hands later, his pile of 'chips' had taken a beating. He was hesitant about opening a new bag, though. He had, after all, been playing cards all afternoon. After folding again, he ran a hand through his hair. 

“I told you not to, Doctor.” He looked up with a smile. Evelyn was standing next to him, a smug smirk on her lips. “Remy cheats.” 

“I'll have you know I been playin' fair,” the Cajun protested as she leaned against the side of his chair. “I don' cheat for everyone, jus' special people.” She let out a small squeak as he wrapped an arm around her and pulled her onto his lap. Giggling, she swatted his arm playfully before leaning in for a kiss. 

_Well, as long as she's happy_ , the Doctor thought glumly before clearing his throat. “So what's the news?” 

She shook her head before looking at him. “The news is no news, so the next rescue mission is next Thursday,” she began with a small frown. He nodded at her encouragingly, causing her to sigh. “He wants me to pick the team, though.” 

“Ah.” He picked up one of his remaining candies. “How are you going to pick?” 

Shrugging, she glanced at Remy for a moment before looking back to the Doctor. “Carefully.” Remy snorted in amusement. “It's a long mission, so I want Storm for sure. And Forge agreed to come along to hack, which means I should probably grab two more at least.” She tapped her fingers against her leg impatiently. “I really don't like leading. I think it's part of the reason the Professor is pushing me towards it.” Remy picked up one of her hands and squeezed it reassuringly. “As long as I don't pick Wolverine, though, I think I'll be alright.” She looked down at her lap as she exhaled. “Would either of you go with me?” she asked hesitantly. 

The Doctor locked eyes with Remy, and both shared a silent agreement before the latter spoke for them both. 

“Of course, mon cheri.” 

The Doctor's brown eyes met her lavender ones, and he nodded, causing her to smile. _At the very least_ , he thought, _this is going to be interesting._


	8. Have Fun Storming the Castle, Boys!

Evelyn was pacing again. 

The Doctor's eyes followed her as she nervously walked in circles around the main console of the TARDIS. With a small sigh, he tapped a button to bring up the time. 7:45. _Fifteen more minutes of this..._

Her signature coat billowed behind her as she moved, its bright red lining catching his eye with every flash. A black jumpsuit covered the rest of her body. Her ebony hair was in its usual ponytail. She had prepped her team, helped Scott and Ororo stock the Blackbird, checked and double checked everything; he would know, as he had helped her with most of it. She was, as she had justified, as prepared as she could be. The only thing left to do was wait to leave. However, there was one small snag. 

She had finished all of her tasks four hours ahead of schedule. 

For a while, she had browsed the library of the Doctor's wonderful ship, and that, the Time Lord thought, was going to do the trick. At least, until she showed back up and started circling the console like a vulture. 

Finally, he'd had enough. 

As she passed him, he grabbed her arm and used her forward momentum to turn her around before gently pushing her into the chair. Startled, she opened her mouth to protest; he simply stared at her. She gulped, and, slowly, sat back. With a curt nod, he leaned against the controls. 

“Nine hundred years of time and space and I will not let someone wear a ring around my console,” he muttered as he crossed his arms over his chest. “Well, someone who isn't me.” Much to his pleasure, he watched Evelyn fight back a smile. “Worrying won't make time go faster. I would know.” 

She sighed, her shoulders slumping slightly. “You're right,” she conceded. “I'm just nervous.” 

“I never would've guessed.” She snorted before leaning forward, her elbows resting on her legs. “Would music help?” 

Shrugging, she looked down at her hands. “I doubt it, Doctor.” 

He spun on his heel and pressed a few keys. “Oh come on, I've got everything. I have the Diva's song from 'The Fifth Element.' I've even got the rendition of that song done by the greatest Ordonian opera singer from the 54th century. You'd think three heads and nine sets of vocal cords would really mess with the original, but it's actually quite amazing.” He twisted back around. “Well, if you don't mind the screeching that denotes the highest form of singing in their culture.” After a small step forward, he stooped down and peered up at her. “It's a smart, simple plan. And I know you- you have a back-up plan for every possible worst-case scenario you've thought of.” The corners of her lips turned up slightly. “And, most importantly, you like your crew.” He rested a hand on her knee. “We'll get through it together.” Her darting lavender eyes met his calm brown ones. “Are you sure you don't want music?” 

Smiling, she rested one of her hands on top of his. “Anything from 'Wicked' would be wonderful.” After matching her smile, he spun as he stood and typed up her request. A small fanfare started, causing Evelyn to let out a laugh. “You just _had_ to capitalize on my word choice, didn't you?” 

“Well...” 

“'I never asked for this, or planned it in advance,'” she sang along softly. “'I was merely blown here by the winds of chance.'” She paused, her gaze still on the Time Lord. “Funny how well those lines fit me right now, even if I can't sing them perfectly.” 

“Who cares if you aren't pitch perfect,” he noted as he twisted before leaning against the console. “Frankly I'm banned from singing on several planets. Well, I was. Not me, but me; past regenerations. Not exactly keen to find out if that ban still holds, though, particularly on Alazaran. Did you know it's a crime punishable by death there if you sing when you're banned? It's a pity, too. Their atmosphere is comprised of a chemical mixture that carries sound waves extra far, and most of their cities have at least one performing group on every block.” He crossed his legs and his arms. “What really makes it hard is their love of Earth tunes. And the good ones, too! Well, my favorites, anyway. It's almost like they tailor the sounds to each individual.” 

“Pardon the pun, but it sounds fantastic.” The Doctor laughed. “I'd love to see it some day.” 

He froze. _It's too soon_ , he thought. _Much too soon._ He tried not to frown as he looked at her. _She probably didn't mean anything by it. I just don't want to bring anyone else aboard the TARDIS for a while._ Evelyn leaned back in the chair again, her eyes closing as she hummed along with the music. _Well, not for extended periods of time, anyway. Much as I hate to admit it, I need time to... to... be wonderful. No, that's not it._ Finally frowning, he looked away from Evelyn. _Time to move on._ He checked the clock on a monitor. _And time to go, actually._ He turned the music off with a quick button tap. Evelyn jolted, turning her gaze to him. 

“It's time?” Nodding, she pulled herself to her feet before throwing her arms around him. “Thanks for the distraction, Doctor.” He hugged her back briefly before she pulled back and headed for the door. He picked his coat up from off of the railing before following her, shutting the door tightly behind him before locking it. One arm after another, he pulled the brown coat on as he walked towards the Blackbird. 

Evelyn was standing on the ramp alone. He smiled at her reassuringly as he walked past her to take a seat next to Forge. She sunk into the seat next to Gambit as he started buckling in. “Preflight checks are finished, Nightshade,” Scott called as the ramp closed with a small thud. 

“Alright,” she started nervously, her voice wavering slightly as she strapped herself in. “Let's get this show on the road.” She fidgeted with the buckles for a moment before Remy pulled her hands into the space between their legs as the engines started to rumble. 

The Doctor turned away, looking instead to the mutant he was sitting beside. Forge, however, had already closed his eyes before the plane even took off. With a sigh, the Doctor followed suit and settled in for a long flight. 

\- - - - - - - - - -

A few hours later, the plane started to slow. 

Sleepily, the Doctor opened his eyes with a yawn. He couldn't tell where they were from the inky night outside the front window. He turned to his left to see Forge yawning as well. 

The moment the plane landed, Evelyn jumped into action. She had unbuckled herself and moved to stand between the cockpit and the other seats. “Alright, I'll do a quick perimeter check...” 

“We know,” Forge muttered through another yawn. 

“...then I'll come back and grab you three,” she added as she looked at Gambit, Forge and the Doctor. 

“We know,” Scott repeated from the controls. 

“...and while you guys are trying to find a list of captured mutants, I'll-” 

“-look fo' anyone who got captured,” Remy finished as he stood and took her gently by the arms. “We know, darlin'. Jus' relax, we'll be fine.” As she nodded, he pulled her in for a hug. “No reason t'be nervous, y'know we'll be alrigh'. Trus' the team ya picked.” He leaned in and pressed his lips to her temple. “An' trus' me,” he whispered. Nodding again, she pulled away from him, and without even waiting for the ramp to be lowered, she vanished into shadow. 

Collectively, the group sighed. “You'd think she's never led a group in her whole life,” Forge noted. 

The Doctor shrugged as he pushed the straps off. “She might not have. She's super smart, but I think she dislikes the spotlight.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “Plus I doubt she jumped at this chance; more than likely she was volun-told.” 

Scott scoffed as he stood. “I think Charles just wants to see what she can do.” He leaned against the metal frame. “Pressure causes everyone to react differently, and clearly leading the five of us is freaking her out.” 

“Ya say tha' like we're all frightenin',” Remy responded with a smirk. 

“We're all older than she is,” Storm chimed in as she turned around in her chair. “She's probably worried we're not going to listen to her...” 

“...or that we're going to correct her constantly if her plan stinks...” Forge continued. 

“...or that we'll demote her the second she makes a mistake,” Scott finished. 

The Doctor shifted slightly in his seat. “And you won't?” 

Storm shook her head. “Most of us remember our first times leading. I doubt anyone here will deliberately make things worse for her.” She glanced at Gambit, who raised his hands in the air with a small smile. 

“She left Wolverine out for a reason,” the Doctor stated. 

Scott scoffed. “I honestly don't blame her a bit for that.” Ororo smacked him lightly on the arm, and he glanced at her. “He would be picking at her plan every step of the way, just because he doesn't like her. He jumps to conclusions about people first and doesn't bother to change them until he has to.” He crossed his arms over his chest with a small huff as he turned back to the Doctor. “Did the same thing to me.” 

The Time Lord nodded once, before fidgeting in his seat again. As silence fell, he tapped his fingertips against his legs. Gambit, he noted, was shuffling a deck of cards. Storm was staring out the front window, presumably keeping an eye on the weather. Scott continually checked his wrist. Forge seemed to be the only one content to sit patiently as they waited for Evelyn to return. _I hope she didn't run into trouble_... he thought, tapping from his pinky to his forefinger against his leg in a constant pattern. 

Almost in response to his thought, a small thud echoed from the back of the plane. He twisted to take a look, only to see Evelyn standing beside his chair. “All's clear,” she insisted as she caught his eye, her voice still shaky. “Let's get this show on the road.” She turned to Forge and Gambit, who both jumped to their feet. “I, uh, h-hope you guys don't m-mind holding hands,” she stuttered. Grinning, Gambit immediately snagged her left one while holding his own left hand out to Forge. She held her other hand out to the Doctor, who grasped it tightly. “Ready?” she asked, looking down the line. With all three nodding, she nodded, too, before pulling their chain into shadow. 

_Still feels like a steamroller_ , the Doctor thought as they navigated through the rocky terrain. He could barely see anything that wasn't right next to him, but Evelyn seemed to be more than capable of leading them to the base. She smoothly pulled them over a large wall, across an open field, and into the base. After a trek down a hallway, the group stopped in a small room. Noting the coast was clear, the four emerged from the shadows. Forge immediately separated himself from Gambit, putting a couple of steps between them as he found his bearings again. 

“I hope this works?” Evelyn ventured with a glance at Forge. 

After taking a look around the small room, he nodded. “This should be fine,” he answered, stepping towards the lone computer in what seemed to be an office, crowded with a couple of desks and a few filing cabinets. “How many bases does he have? Enough to warrant networking?” He started tapping away at the keyboard. “Thirty in the US alone,” he murmured as he continued to type. “Do you want the locations of all of 'em, too? Dumb question, of course you do.” 

Evelyn looked to the Doctor. “Do you have the jump drive?” He dropped her hand to reach into his pocket and pull the small device out. “Great. I'll head back here after I take anyone else I find back to the Blackbird.” She stretched on tiptoe to kiss Gambit on the cheek before looking around the room one more time. “If anything happens, tap the bottom of the computer monitor three times to signal me.” The two men closest to her nodded, and she smiled at both before departing. 

Gambit walked to the door to stand guard while Forge kept searching. The Doctor, meanwhile, stared at the spot Evelyn was in last before stuffing his hands back into his pockets. He leaned against the closest desk. He crossed his ankles and started tapping his top foot against the ground. 

Over at the computer, the usually quiet mutant sighed. “Hand me the jump drive,” he requested, and the Doctor quickly moved over, holding out the small item. “Making my own technology is easier than blundering through someone else's,” he growled as he took the jump drive and plugged it in. “Going base by base to get the data we're after is going to suck, someone's going to have to analyze the whole thing once we get back to the caves.” 

“Is it not all on there?” 

“Oh it is. Problem is it's all sorted by base, there's no lone master list.” He clicked the mouse a couple times before his typing resumed. “I'll just copy-paste everything I can get into. Will take a bit more sorting but it'll probably be worth it in the long run.” Looking up to the Doctor, he sighed. “Sadly I haven't found anything password protected but the computer itself.” He huffed. “Probably means they've got stuff worth hiding hidden better." 

Nodding, the Doctor stepped back to lean against the desk once more. _Not sure what Loki would be hiding, really_ , he thought has he crossed his arms over his chest. _I still need to do a bit of research, narrow down the kind of mind control a bit further. I don't think he can directly access the thoughts of anyone he's controlling, but, depending on the device he's using, he could possibly have access to the memories of everyone he's... captured. Which would mean the storing of anything he thinks 'important' would be unnecessary; he'd be able to have it all himself._ He took a deep breath as he frowned. _Definitely not ideal for us, if he figures out how to get into any brain of those fighting against him he'll have information on all of us._ He looked from Forge to Gambit. _Hopefully that doesn't happen soon._

Suddenly, Evelyn appeared in the center of the room. Anxiously, she looked to all three. “We've got a problem.” Her purple eyes rested on Forge. “How close to done are you?” 

He pulled the jump drive out of the computer before tossing it back to the Doctor, who fumbled it slightly before catching it and returning it to his pocket. “Done. Copied everything. Someone will have to go through it all.” 

“You couldn't just hop in and look through the lists?” 

“No easy way to search,” he answered as he stepped closer. “We'll have to do it manually.” 

Nodding unhappily, she held her hands out. Forge snagged her right hand. The Doctor went for her left, but was lightly bumped out of the way by Gambit. Still frowning, he took Forge's metal hand instead. Luckily for the Time Lord, the way back felt quicker than the way in. _She might just be taking us as quick as she can_ , he thought. _Whatever it is she seems to be more than a bit upset about it._ As the four reemerged onto the Blackbird, Evelyn cleared her throat. Scott and Ororo turned around as she dropped the hands of her fellow mutants and stepped forward. 

“Something wrong?” Scott ventured. 

Evelyn nodded. “We got the data we were after just fine,” she stated as Forge nodded in confirmation, “but I hit a... a... _snag_ while searching for prisoners.” Turning slowly, she met the eyes of everyone before looking to Storm at last. “I found Mystique.” 

Ororo and Scott both leaped from their chairs. “Is that the name she gave you?” Evelyn nodded again. “Did she show you her power?” Storm continued. 

“She turned into me, scars and all.” She shuddered. “It was eerie.” 

“What did she tell you?” Scott asked through clenched teeth. 

Biting her lip, Evelyn crossed her arms over her chest. “Well, that's the problem. Well, one of the problems, anyway. She asked if I'd found anyone else who was being held here. I told her I hadn't, she was the only one, and started to panic a bit. I asked for her name, and, well, since I've heard a couple of the stories about her, I asked her to prove it, so she did. After that, I asked why she was freaking out. She said she hadn't been taken alone.” She paused, biting her lip again as her brows furrowed. “She was taken along with Magneto.” 

Most of the group inhaled sharply. The Doctor, however, merely looked around, puzzled. “Who's Magneto?” he asked hesitantly. 

“He's a monster,” Scott answered grimly. 

“He's an extremist,” Ororo expanded. “He thinks that mutant-kind should rule over humanity because we're 'more evolved.'” 

“He came close to doing it, too,” Scott finished. “I don't care if he's captured; it just means we have one less enemy.” 

“Even if he's not against you guys right now?” Evelyn asked. 

“ _Especially_ if he's not against us,” Scott answered. “If Loki somehow fails and he has the chance to, he'll do it all over again.” 

“But Loki captured Magneto, according to Mystique, correct?” the Doctor asked as he looked at Evelyn. 

“Well yeah, that's what she said.” 

“Then, for right now, he's against Loki, too.” The Doctor looked around to the rest of the group. “You might not like it but you're on the same side; he might even be a significant help.” He stuffed his hands into his pockets again. “I say we find him, and fast, before Loki tries to persuade him to fight against us.” 

Evelyn smiled at him. “I also want to rescue Mystique, too.” Half the group started to protest, but she raised her hand to silence them. “We need to plan this, though. I don't want to give either of them the chance to double-cross us.” 

Nodding, Storm slowly looked to the rest of the group before turning to its leader. “Do you have a plan, Nightshade?” 

Evelyn straightened up slightly. “Here's what I have in mind..."


	9. Are We Having Fun Yet?

A few thrown objects and a couple of awkward conversations later, the group of six mutants and a Time Lord aboard the Blackbird were headed towards the next closest base- one only about thirty minutes away. According to Scott's calculations, they would still be able to make it back to the caves without needing to stop and refuel. 

Mystique had, thankfully, remained silent the whole ride after introductions were made. Though he hadn't learned anything of her shared history with the other mutants, the Doctor felt like he could almost poke the visible tension she caused just by being around the group. He exhaled softly as he glanced back at Evelyn. In the spirit of fairness, she had taken a seat in the last row, closest to the odd blue woman. The younger mutant would glance over at the other every so often, usually with a question on her lips, but would always decide against it rather than break the pungent quiet. 

“Hey Nightshade?” Scott called from the front, causing the Doctor to shift his attention forward quickly. 

“Yeah?” 

“We're close. Just looking for a place to land.” 

“A-alright,” she answered, her voice catching slightly. The Doctor closed his eyes briefly, mentally wishing her the only positive reinforcement he could at the moment. The plane started to descend slowly. After landing, Evelyn once again was the first to move. “Same plan,” she stated simply as her lavender eyes darted around. All of her group nodded. Satisfied, she took a deep breath before vanishing. 

The Doctor undid his straps, and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, as he repeated Evelyn's action of peering at the whole group. Storm was still flicking off a couple of switches. Scott, on the other hand, was completely still. After waiting a beat, the Time Lord turned away. Forge seemed to be lost in his own thoughts. Gambit was twisting and flipping a card with his fingers. Mystique, shockingly, caught his gaze with her own yellow eyes. Smirking, her skin shifted to a light tan and her red hair changed to blonde. The Doctor sat up as he stared, and Rose stared back at him. Forcibly, he blinked, and a different blonde woman stared back at him. Relieved, he let out a breath and sank back into his seat. _First sign you're going crazy- you've started seeing things._ He crossed his arms over his chest. _Well, one of the first signs, anyway. Not like sanity is a normal trait for a Time Lord._ Smiling wistfully, he leaned his head back against the seat. _Well, definitely not for this Time Lord, anyway. Crazy seems to be my only consistent trait._ His grin slipped as he closed his eyes. _Well, that, and my hero complex._ He tapped his feet against the metal floor absentmindedly as he let his thoughts wander. 

Intuitively, after a short eternity of focusing on nothing, his eyes popped open. A moment later, Evelyn seemed to sprout out of the shadow. “I found him.” From the row behind him, he heard the small sounds of shuffling from Mystique, and caught Evelyn's eyes flick back towards her. _How much does Magneto mean to her?_ he wondered as he leaned forward again. _Enough that she would team with bitter enemies to save him?_ He glanced around the plane again, noting that no one else outwardly showed signs of noticing their blue guest's interest. 

“Well?” Forge asked impatiently, causing Evelyn to jump. 

“I found him,” she repeated as she crossed her arms over her chest and shifted her weight from foot to foot. “Fairly easily, all things considered. He's in a glass room, filled with what I can only guess is knockout guess.” 

“You don't know?” Mystique quipped rudely. 

“Am I here?” Evelyn retorted with equal fervor, and the blue mutant nodded. “That's because I didn't check it. You warned me yourself that he probably wouldn't be conscious.” The younger mutant glared at the older one, who refused to squirm at all under her harsh gaze; instead, she turned to look at everyone else. Everyone simply stared back at her, and she reverted to fidgeting nervously. “We need to siphon the gas out, somehow. Assuming he won't wake the moment we stop the flow, I'll need at least two people with me to carry him.” She gulped before continuing. “Remy?” He nodded, and she looked over to the Time Lord. “Doctor?” He nodded as well, and both slowly stood as she gazed at the rest individually. “Stay on alert, we'll try to get out as quickly as possible once we've gotten Magneto out.” She held her hands out towards the standing pair, and the moment each grasped one, she pulled them into darkness. 

The terrain around the second base had a lot more trees than the first one. About a hundred yards away from the Blackbird, Evelyn reemerged, bringing the pair with her. After a small squeeze, she dropped the Doctor's hand. “Sorry if this is unexpected, but I'm not sure how much talking we'll be able to do once we get in. I spotted a lot more cameras at this site. I can disable them, but it will be quicker not to. I didn't spot Loki while I searched, but I've still got a bad feeling about this.” She leaned against Remy's arm. “Might just be the paranoia about Mystique rubbing off on me from the rest of the group.” 

The Doctor crossed his arms over his chest as he nodded. “It's not a bad thing to be prepared for, especially with the way the rest of your group reacted to her.” 

“Think it will work, then?” she asked as Remy draped one arm around her shoulders. 

“It's a good plan,” he answered, and she rolled her eyes with a small smile. “Speaking of plans...” 

She nodded. “There were a bunch of machines around the... gas chamber. I'm thinking that we should be able just to reverse the flow.” Remy squeezed her arm tightly. “And if that doesn't work we simply break it.” 

Smiling, the Doctor shrugged. “Well, if nothing else works first.” She shrugged, too, before nodding. She held her hand out again, and he grabbed it gently. She pulled the pair back into the shadows with her. 

The trees seemed to fly by quickly, followed by a wall, a door, a couple of deserted hallways, and, finally, the room with a smaller glass chamber inside it. Magneto, the Doctor noted as they stepped out from shadow, was not restrained at all; if it were not for the vents linked up to his cell, he could easily pass for sleeping in a semi-transparent cloud. Pulling his hand out of Evelyn's, he stepped towards the glass, merely to get a closer look. A very faint hissing was coming from the tubes pumping the chemicals in. The man himself seemed rather nondescript- his hair was a silvery gray, and he looked to be at peace, forced though it might be. The Doctor tucked his hands into his pockets. _What would my enemies think of me, if I were in his place?_ he wondered as he leaned in closer. Behind him, faint taps signaled that the mutant pair had begun to work on the machine. _I'd be kept in that state indefinitely, unless they found means to control me. But there are precious few things aside from free will that can make a Time Lord do anything._ He straightened up, turning slightly as he did. _And the six are still hidden... Well... aren't they?_ He frowned. _Would the time line have shifted because of... nah, can't be. It can't do much more than slow things down or speed them up._ He starting pacing slowly as the hissing stopped. _Well, it can't cause a paradox on its own, at any rate._ Suddenly, he paused, the ends his long coat flapping against his calves. _It's mind. It's the mind one. But **how** did he get it?_ He turned his head to the left slightly and gazed down at the floor. _More aptly, how did he get it **twice**?_ Lost in his thoughts, he rubbed his chin with one hand. 

He was completely caught unawares when a card flew past him to collide with the glass. 

Startled, he jumped backwards as the closest panel shattered. Instinctively, he brought his sleeve up to his mouth before standing up straight again. He took a couple of tentative breaths before lowering his hand to glare at the younger two. Remy's arm was still outstretched, his fingers flexed from releasing the card. One of Evelyn's hands rested on his forearm, while the other was frozen in midair. “Warn me next time!” he snarled angrily. 

Remy smirked in response. “Shoul' pay more-” Evelyn cut him off by clapping one hand over his mouth and stomping on his foot. She raised a finger on her other hand to her lips as she looked between the two pointedly. Slowly, she dropped her hands, and graced the Doctor with an apologetic glance as she walked past him towards Magneto. She strode to the far side of the table, glass crunching slightly under her boots with each step. Remy, limping slightly, walked to the short end of the table near the unconscious mutant's boots. Still scowling, the Doctor took the place opposite the Cajun at Magneto's head. 

“We need to move,” she urged quietly as she reached out to touch Magneto's arm. Instead of connecting with flesh, her hand hit the metal table beneath him with an echoing thud. The Doctor immediately reached towards the man's grayed head, only to have his hand connect with nothing but air. Remy, he noticed, was doing the same thing down at the feet. 

Evelyn, however, had frozen. 

“How simple you are,” a smug voice drawled from behind her. The illusion of Magneto shimmered and vanished. Light glinted off of a silver dagger that materialized next to Evelyn's neck, with the rest of Loki appearing smoothly out of thin air. He stood directly behind her, with the arm holding the dagger hovering over her chest. “Humanity is plagued with a need to save those in danger.” His sharp green eyes gazed on the Doctor. “I did expect more from you. The self-proclaimed Lord of Time.” With a small flick of his wrist, he pressed the metal tighter to Evelyn's skin, causing her to gasp slightly. “Do you truly wish her dead?” he asked as he turned to Remy. The Cajun had slowly pulled a few cards into his hand, and looked poised to throw one. “I would lament the loss of her... potential.” 

“She won' help ya anyway,” he replied, his eyes glinting with a hint of red. 

“Not yet,” he answered smoothly. “I intend to leave no choice.” 

“How?” the Doctor interjected, causing the raven-haired being to turn to him again. “It's not like you'd be holding a dagger to her neck if you'd already learned how to control mutants,” he continued as he tucked his hands into his pockets. 

Glaring venomously, Loki took half a step closer to the Doctor, his weapon still against Evelyn's neck. With one blink, however, his expression changed from malicious to mischievous. “Do you not partake in games for fun, Doctor?” The Time Lord shrugged. “I doubt you are pithy.” He shifted closer to Evelyn, his weapon continuing to keep her still. He rested his free hand on her shoulder and shot the Doctor a predatory grin while he loomed over her. “Furthermore, is she not a perfect bargaining chip?” Smirking, he glanced from one end of the table to the other. “I could ask the world for her safety,” he noted, looking from Remy to the Doctor again, “and it would be mine.” 

Keen to retort, the Doctor looked to Evelyn, who gave a tiny nod in reply. “You could,” he conceded with a small shrug of his shoulders as he rolled his head slightly. “Well, so long as you keep in her danger to keep us motivated to get you what you want, anyway.” Calmly, he met the wicked green eyes again. “But, well, there is a catch to that.” 

Loki huffed in disbelief. “And what, dare tell, is my disadvantage?” 

“You can't hold on to a shadow.” 

Startled, Loki tightened his grip on her shoulder as he moved the dagger downward before stabbing, but she shifted into shadow before he could stop her. Furiously, he reached out with both hands towards the Doctor, who felt Evelyn tug him into the shadows as the madman's hand hit the air where he had been standing. She pulled him with her towards Remy, who had taken Loki's surprise as the opportune moment to pelt him with the kinetically charged cards he had been holding. The Cajun's onslaught stopped as he, too, was yanked into shadow. 

The building whirled beneath them as Evelyn frantically rushed back to the Blackbird. The trees passed slower and slower as they moved along, though, before finally they came to a stop just outside the jet. Her hand on his shoulder slipped, and she fell forward in a slump before he could catch her. He stooped down beside her immediately, noticing that her shoulder had been sliced open, and the dagger was stuck in her chest. “Get them to lower the ramp!” he shouted urgently as he ripped her shirt wider at her wounds. He heard footsteps, and pounding, and possibly some shouting, but none of it really registered as he focused on the bleeding woman in front of him. _I can't pull the dagger out without something to staunch the bleeding_ , he thought as he checked through the pockets of his jacket one by one. _And possibly something to check for infection, I wouldn't put it past him to use a poisoned blade on the one of our trio who could essentially vanish into mist._ Finally, he pulled out a plain white handkerchief and pressed it straight to the longer, shallow cut. He kept one hand pushing gently on the wound while he wrapped his other arm around her back for support. His eyes darted to her face. Her light complexion seemed even paler in the moonlight, and her normally electric eyes were already shut. _Don't fade on me, Evelyn. Don't fall into the wrong shadow._

After what seemed like too long, the footsteps returned, and metal scraped against metal as the ramp was lowered. The Doctor pulled his hand away from the now stained linen, and hooked his arm under her legs before standing. With her tucked tightly in his arms, he followed Remy up the ramp. To his surprise, Scott was dragging a struggling Storm out of the plane. Her arms had been strapped down tightly with a bunch of rope. “Word?” the Time Lord asked the mutants. 

“Aladdin,” Scott growled, while the captive Storm simply stared in confusion. The Doctor nodded, and so Scott all but threw the other mutant off the end of the ramp. As he had expected, the woman turned blue as she landed on the dirt. Slowly, struggling against her bonds, she pulled herself to her feet, but as she turned to yell at the others, the ramp closed up behind them. 

Inside, the true Storm was dabbing an antibiotic onto Evelyn's shoulder. Remy, who seemed even paler than her, was already sitting in one of the seats. The Doctor, with the small first aid kit open next to him, was seated on the floor as well. With a piece of gauze in hand, he nodded to Storm. With a small gulp, she pulled the dagger free. Blood started to pour out before he was able to fully press the gauze down. As quickly as he could, he layered a second piece on the main wound before setting a third on the cut and taping all three down. “We need to get her to base,” Ororo murmured. 

The Doctor nodded before glancing up to Scott. “As soon as we can. She needs stitches, at the very least. Well, stitches, and antibiotics.” He turned his attention back to the mostly silver dagger that was also slick with crimson. “And possibly an antidote.” 

Carefully, Scott stepped over their wounded commander and into the front of the plane. Storm squeezed the other girl's bicep gently before following him. “It's a good thing she planned for the double-cross,” Forge stated softly from his seat. 

The Doctor looked over to him. “Mystique tried?” 

He nodded. “We had her before she could really do anything, and tied her up for it. Didn't need the words we set until you guys came back, though.” 

“Get ready for take-off, guys,” Scott announced as he started turning on the engines. “We'll have to keep Nightshade where she is, just keep an eye on her during the flight.” Though he really couldn't see it, all three males in the back had nodded. 

The Doctor slowly pushed himself into a seat. Numbly, he strapped himself in, his gaze back on Evelyn. _It's my fault, again,_ he thought glumly as they took off. _I gave her more reasons to try for the rescue. And if it hadn't been for her quick thinking all six of us would be sunk. Well, bleeding, at least, most likely. The only good to come of this is that I know how Loki's doing everything._ He closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. _And all we can hope, for now, is that he doesn't figure out the mind stone's full potential. Otherwise..._ He looked down at the woman, trying to be happy, for the moment, that she was still breathing. _Otherwise we're all in trouble._


End file.
